Online shopping trend rising in city

LUDHIANA: Ludhiana, known for its high-end malls and opulence, is witnessing a rising trend of online shopping. About 25% of its youth between the age group of 16 to 35 years prefer online shopping when it comes to buying swanky electronic gadgets. A survey by ASSOCHAM has shown that Ludhiana ranks sixth among cities where the trend is picking up.
Ludhiana youths place online orders to buy their favourite gadgets, their accessories, branded apparels and shoes.Among electronic gadgets, they mostly go for latest cellphones, iPads, walkman, iPods and laptops.
In its survey carried out in 10 cities, ASSOCHAM contacted 500 respondents at each place to know their views on the growing internet retail industry, which currently stands at Rs 2,000 crore across the country and is expected to reach Rs 7,000-crore mark by 2015.
The 10 cities included Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Ludhiana, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Jaipur. Mumbai ranked number one (65%), followed by Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore and Ludhiana. In Ludhiana, the ASSOCHAM representatives found that earlier, most of the online shoppers used to evaluate options by exploring information on available products and prices before opting for final transactions at the traditional retail outlets or buy low-value items like gift products.
''But now, the trend is changing fast. Leading companies have gauged the potential of online retail industry and are gearing up fast to cash in on it,'' ASSOCHAM secretary general D S Rawat said.
Most of the Ludhianvis said they preferred to shop online considering convenience to shop 24X7, besides it enabled them to collect detailed product information. ''One can also do research on a variety of available products and compare prices of different vendors anywhere in the world,'' one of the respondents said.
The surveyors added that facilities like free shipping, product ratings, reviews, multiple paying options, demonstration videos and free return policy largely influenced the purchasing decision of consumers shopping online. ''Also, 15% of city respondents cited rising fuel prices as one of the primary reasons for online retail shopping,'' the survey stated.