[greenhorn]

Electronics - shop locally to see what common models are, cross check online to see prices and then buy from wherever is cheaper. Buy most electrical and electronics stuff via a dealer as I have found that when things go wrong, apart from the really big established manufacturers, both the manufacturer and the ecom site washes their hand off it. Trying to find an authorized dealer on Amazon marketplace is too hard. Also, even if you buy online, if you might end up with a non mainstream model which might have hard to find parts etc. I also find that ecom site discounts have slimmed, and local dealers have learned and started to offer competitive prices.

Nowadays the only stuff I buy online is obscure stuff you can't find anywhere else, and Flipkart has done a great disserve to that by shuttering eBay and not offering an alternative

[motorguy]

For clothes and shoes, I never shop online - have always found that it is better to go to a store , try it on and then buy. The 2 or 3 times I tried shopping online for these items, have found that the fit is not right.

For expensive elecronics, I would rather go to a store and buy - installation is often free. I had bought a refrigerator from Amazon and was shocked when I called LG that they said they would charge me Rs.650 just to open the box and plug in the fridge!. After that no more buying of white goods online.

[Sanjeev V S]

Hello All,

I have changed from Offline to Online mode because of traffic, parking and convenience. I was frequently going to Metro Cash & Carry Kannakapura Road Distribution centre for Grocery, Provision, electrical white/brown goods, vegetables, fruits but I have to spend at least 3 hours, now I use Amazon Pantry, Big basket, Grofers depending on the cash back offers or discounts.

From 2013 been an Amazon.in /Amazon.com fan if at all I have received damaged goods I have got instant refunds as Amazon pay or back to SB A/c. when I wanted some spares for my Panasonic washing machine I didn't get anywhere in Bangalore including ASC got in online through Rakuten.com, I changed my sofas, I bought through Urban ladder without visiting their store very near to my house.

Thanks to Bangalore traffic chaos and the time saving without factoring the schedules of my family online works for me so far. I don't use Flopkart for various reasons, but today's TOI Bangalore edition carries an advt from FlopKart that they are introducing grocery.

[SubhoMoto]

I usually compare prices online & offline and then opt for the cheapest option.
I personally prefer Amazon for online purchases over Flipkart
For buying Groceries, it's mostly BigBasket or Amazon Now.

[alpha1]

Standardized commodities can be bought online (e.g laptop).
Products that have to appeal to personal taste need the real life look and feel evaluation (e.g. Hi-fidelity speakers).

[DCEite]

Over the past few years, i have started buying even expesive items online. Mostly Amazon. My experience has been overall positive so far with regards to online shopping - both for expensive as wel as cheap products.

Examples of products i have bought on Amazon/Flipkart recently:

1. Bosch fully Automatic washing machine
2. Couple of split ACs (1.5 and 1 Ton) and couple of Window ACs.
3. 43 inch Panasonic LED TV
4. Mid range mobile phones (OnePlus 3/Poco F1 etc.)
5. Titan watch
6. Panasonic speaker/subwoofer system
7. Amazon Firestick and Google Chromecast (Ok they are only online)
8. Cloths, footwear
9. Daily needs items (mostly Bigbasket/Amazon)
10. Vegetables/dairy (mostly Bigbasket)
11. Cieling fans and exhaust fans for home
12. Havells Water Geyser for bathroom

[psmenon]

Voted for "No strategy. I'll buy wherever I get the lower price" , though I prefer to purchase cloth and accessories offline. All gadgets purchases are done after a lot of comparison with offline - online retailers, and most of the time online retailers get the money.

[adneeraj]

My vote: OTHER.
Exact explanation as of GTO.

Only with a slight twist. I do not hesitate to buy online on Amazon provided the seller is known (Appario, Cloudtail specifically) for electronics restricted to phones and tabs.
Anything other than this is strictly offline and mostly through Vijay Sales as we have a good relationship with the manager since 10+ years. We might not get the same price as online, but definitely get topnotch service and hassle free warranty.

I don't hesitate to buy clothes online but again, like GTO said, only when I'm sure of the fit of the brand.

It's amazing how much money we end up saving online only to buy more and erase any savings

One thing specifically I see a huge difference is on toys. I've a 4 year old at home and he needs newer toys way more frequently that I could have imagined. Hotwheels, Thomas and Funskool, Disney, Frank etc. run good discounts. For all other things, there's always the local store.

But with this advent and influx of online shopping, I somewhere miss the excitement involved in Diwali shopping. Had been to Central this Diwali and I was ridiculed with their exorbitant pricing. Online shopping has left you always wanting for discounts. And anything less than 25% is frowned upon

[Futurestan]

I voted for others.

Online purchases:
Books
Mobiles
Certain Groceries
Furniture

Offline purchases:
For electronic goods such as laptops I prefer the offline market because I find that the spec range available is wider in retail stores unlike in online purchases where a laptop is not available in all possible configurations. Additionally, it helps test out certain features to the full extent when you are purchasing offline.

I also purchase clothes and shoes offline as I prefer trying them out before a purchase.

[RGK]

I prefer to buy expensive items offline. Recently bought ACs for my brother's house in Chennai. Rathna Fan House is one of the best shops in the country. They sell around 800 AC units per day during summer. Their service and follow up has been always excellent.

I buy Mobile and Computer accessories online due to a better price.

Some of the shops encourage "without bill" to avoid GST which I personally do not like.

[blackasta]

Voted other.

• Food / groceries / FMCG - offline. I have a Spencer's near my office where I can pick up most of the stuff.
• Specialty items like cat food / dog food / post workout salt tablets - online - Amazon. Mostly for the discounts & availability of various types/flavors.
• Books - offline (mostly during the annual Kolkata book fair) & online (throughout the year) - Amazon / Flipkart.
• Small electronics, Mobile phones & accessories - online. The last phone I bought offline was in 2008.
• Car accessories - online - Amazon & Aliexpress
• Car care items - online - Lot of stores - I have bought from online stores in India, UK and USA. Amazon, Autogeek, Detailedclean India/UK, Greenzcarcare, UltimateDetailers, Autofresh etc.
• Oddball items - Amazon & Aliexpress. Miss Bay a lot.
• Tools - Amazon. Machpowertools is also good. Tolexo used to be a good site. Industrybuying was always useless.
• Hardware items like wood / ply / metal / paints - offline.
• White goods like AC / TV / Fridge - till now offline.

Used to buy a lot from buy.com, Newegg, Amazon back in USA.
The biggest thing I have bought till date online is the table saw for my workshop for about Rs 25K from Tolexo. The costliest would be $1000+ spent on Newegg for assembling my desktop PC in 2009 (I use the same PC till now with minor changes).

[SnakemanJohny]

I buy anything and everything online, 99% of it from Amazon.in. Am always prepared to face any hassles after the ten-days return myself ! Customer support is one thing available mostly offline !

Things normally not available in Calcutta shops, like car accessories, LED bulbs etc. Slowly converting all our vehicles' lighting to LEDs (except headlights) -- Jonga, Gypsy, Alto, and Yezdi.
The choices online are huge, and for LEDs, false/exaggerated claims are also huge ! Most bulbs have to be tried and returned, as they are too weak --but that is not a problem with easy returns on Amazon.in. Such variety is not there in brick & mortar stores, and returns there are impossible.

Also buy exotic foods like various jams and pickles online, for the variety there -- am tired of mixed fruit jams only at local stores, and pickles like Mangalore-fish and Goan-shrimp are not to be had locally ! Plus various brands of coffee.

Have bought a number of Samsung Galaxy phones online, for giving as gifts, and they all seemed fresh (unrefurbished), at prices lower than the lowest in market. As I use only 'unsmart' flip(clamshell) phones, these are not to be had in shops anymore. Buy them online, mostly from E-BAY.
Also bought three LED TVs online, and they are working fine, but one bought from the reputed E-ZONE chain offline developed problems just after the warranty expired !
Never buy clothes and shoes online, as I prefer to see, touch, try on and buy these. but bought a few belts.

I find the luxury of buying online too tempting ! Do not have to go hunting from shop to shop. Do not have to try to explain what exactly you want. Do not have to settle for something else decided by a pushy sales-person ! And do not have to come back and beg for return if you are not satisfied.
And prices (with discounts) are also lower than in most shops.
I guess my reasons for online shopping are similar to those of lazybird, Viraat13, and procrastinator!

[yogeshsom29]

Having worked in retail for major part of my career which spans more than 1.5 decades ; I so feel at home in this thread.

As rightly pointed out by GTO by giving relevant facts in the opening thread; online & offline both will co-exist happily; rather they complement each other beautifully.

We’ve most offline retailers gone online with a Omni - channel strategy & most online retailers have opened (or are in process of opening on their own or by M&A) brick & mortar stores to stay relevant in competition; shopping is all about experience.

For me – being in retail – automatically most of shopping is offline mainly for 2 reasons
1 – by virtue of being in retail; there are exclusive discounts I get &
2 – I’m more of a experiential shopper

While I do shop online, but largely where the stakes are low; like books, car accessories (largely non electronics), or exclusive deals from directly brand sites.