[arindambasu13]

Not at all, If anything, it has exponentially increased post Covid. Added to that, online shopping has become more and more streamlines, and I have purchased several items from outside the country from the comfort of my own home- and these articles were but a pipe dream for me, reserved for only foreign trips as and when they came along. Physical shopping is almost at nil for me, except for rare grocery runs etc.

[harry10]

Nope.
I have been an online shopper since Flipkart came. Though I mostly buy stuff from Amazon cos there customer support is brilliant, 1 day delivery for Prime members and I have an ICICI card with them for discount. Since more than 10 years all our mobile purchases have been online.

Only the big electronics stuff like a Tv or Refrigerator kind I go to Vijay Sales, Croma, Reliance ( whoever has the best deal). Primarily cos it's time consuming to return big items and offline gives you a better feel as well.

Vegetable and groceries we buy from nearby markets. I can buy them online but family prefers it this way.

Online is a big convenience for many products but offline has it's perks too. Ultimately we should buy whichever gives us the best deal.

A small example in favor of online.
When Asics was introduced in India I went to there showroom in a prominent mall. The shoe I liked was retailing for 7800 at that time. I checked online for same model, it was for 5500. So, bought it saving 2300. I have experienced this a lot of times. But in electronics sometimes offline have proven to be cheaper.

[SourPai]

This thread title surprised me a little and for a moment I was wondering if I am reading it wrong

My Online shopping has increased multifold and has increased for all categories including high value purchases.

My recent TV (Samsung Frame), LG Fridge, Washing machine, Furniture (Urban Ladder), Laptop, Mobile etc all is online. Grocery and Eggs (Licious) is also online. My big ticket purchases are usually around festive seasons like Flipkart BBD or Great Indian festival sale and usually come with max discounts. During such time, online platforms also offer extended warranties on select products

What I have generally observed is that if you have a good purchase & retain history of products, dispute handling also becomes easier. It is like a CIBIL score. All my purchases with minor issues got required resolution from online platforms promptly.

[neeraj0272]

Originally Posted by harry10

A small example in favor of online.
When Asics was introduced in India I went to there showroom in a prominent mall. The shoe I liked was retailing for 7800 at that time. I checked online for same model, it was for 5500. So, bought it saving 2300. I have experienced this a lot of times. But in electronics sometimes offline have proven to be cheaper.

I think you are talking about Reliance retail which first sold Asics. But now situation is different from that time.

I will tell you that nowadays many companies has a policy to equalize online and offline prices. If you are getting stuff cheaper online or even offline chances are that it may be due to old stock or even from imports outside of official Indian retail network. Probability of getting true deals and especially from online dealers are slim.
At official retail stores you are guaranteed to receive either latest models or outgoing models at a discount but never old stock.
Recently I bought a One plus phone cheaper by Rs 500 at a physical store. One shopkeeper was giving me about 5k cheaper than online and other physical stores but at the time of final deal he first refused me Bill (invoice). When I pressed for the bill then he relented. But he later backed out and said color is not available!
There are multiple tricks that a rogue seller can use to sell goods cheaper like fake invoicing, selling old stock or even near expiry products, selling factory seconds or even rejects and so on.

[Mach_1590]

My online shopping has increased many folds in last few years. Although, If I am buying something expensive, I make it a point to visit the offline stores like Croma, Vijay sales etc. My most recent purchase of an electronic item was over 17k cheaper in Croma. Having being said that, my usage of online food ordering apps is at peak. After the pandemic, I even order groceries, dairy and meat products online frequently. To be honest, I feel confident in ordering the stuff online as it is much easier to return/replace them incase they aren't up to mark. I think my online shopping will increase in coming years.

[amol4184]

My "NO" is so resounding, I am astonished at this poll.

The brick and mortar shops in my area are a sad place, always have been. None of those guys are eager to sell or knowledgeable or even polite to customers. They will be loitering around all day, eating paan and still frown when people ask questions. All hell breaks lose if you try to return goods.

Fine then, I will give my money to Amazon.

I like to avoid any physical shop as much as I can. Few places that make you go to them are horrible. E.g. stupid Vi and Airtel shops. Similarly banks. Each visit to them is a painful affair. Like I said, I am astonished to see anyone reducing their online shopping over last few years and prefer doing it in physical store.

I wish someone brought fuel to my doorstep too so that I could avoid petrol pumps.

[interest]

My online shopping has increased by a significant amount. This is partly driven by the ease with which a variety of goods can be accessed online vs visiting multiple offline stores, attractive discounts/offers being available online and return policies that portals such as amazon, myntra or bigbasket etc. offer. Earlier I used to shop online only for very standardized or low involvement items and I never believed I will buy clothes online, however, I don't remember now the last time I visited a physical shop to buy something as I buy grocery, clothes, electronics, stationary (nearly everything) online.

[neeraj0272]

Originally Posted by amol4184

My "NO" is so resounding, I am astonished at this poll.


All hell breaks lose if you try to return goods.


I like to avoid any physical shop as much as I can.

I wish someone brought fuel to my doorstep too so that I could avoid petrol pumps.

In a perfect world everybody would want to do shopping while sitting in the comfort of their home.

While understanding your experience of physical shopping, I would like to make a few points:
Only difference between online & physical shopping is that instead of a retail shop you have a brand like Amazon or Flipkart as a retailer.
If you buy from brand like Croma or authorized stores or company owned stores I believe your experience will be same. Except for the physical effort but in lieu of that you get to feel and inspect the items and ready delivery.
Accepting returns is a business necessity for online shopping portals and not their virtue. Otherwise no one would buy from them. You wouldn't plonk money on a non-returnable item which you haven't seen.
Re your point about return policies, I agree most physical stores don not give money back on return. But almost all physical stores allow exchange.
Also online shopping stores do not give you cash back on returns which is a big negative for me. They give you store credit which is practically the same as exchange.

After they are well established, online shopping stores can always change their return policy. In most cases they already have. They will at the least impose re-stocking fee.

[raksrules]

My online shopping hasn't reduced but increased but that is only because now many a things are available online which weren't before. But I don't go about buying random stuff or just because something is introductory price or seems like a deal.

I only buy stuff I actually want and have use of.

[noufal.ps]

A big NO from me too. My online spends have been going up, and now we have completely switched groceries to big basket.

Be it big appliances, smaller junk items - it's always online for me. Heck, I purchased used CRV online last month (Cars24)

[haria]

Yes & No.

Some items I strictly avoid online - esp. food items which are popular & with expiry date. For instance Nandini Ghee - 2/3 times I got spurious product from amazon. The same with Aashirvad 10 Kg atta . After this, I avoid buying these food items from Amazon. I rather go to the nearest supermarket / grocery store, even though the price may be lower in amazon.

Another item I avoid buying online is clothing / shoes/ etc. for these, my exp. with online has not been great.. more returns than I care to have!

Other items like books, electronics, stationery, tools, gadgets, etc. it is mostly online.

[clevermax]

No way it has reduced for me. It has been on an exponential increase, especially after covid.

It is either impossible or very difficult to buy certain things from shops, and they are easily available online.

Fortunately, I never had any bad experiences buying things online. I always look at the reviews, seller name, location and shipping times before ordering something. Plus, I use those very popular shopping sites only.

[Bluengel180]

Though I prefer physical shopping, I definitely want to avoid crowds and the time taken to make a physical purchase (driving, parking, purchase) is also quite considerable.


Also when you factor in the fuel cost and your time offline purchases are much more expensive.

Online customer till things bet better for now.

[ACM]

NO

Was at High levels relative to others around a few years back.

Have progressed to Very High and now Extremely High.

1) Range
2) Price
3) Return Policy
4) Convenience.

But shopping online is an art. It is not easy to search and to get the best offers.

[DieselAnna]

Voted Yes.

Post Covid, I have started procastinating about some purchases and eventually dropped it. Online shopping got the better of me and I was purchasing products at a whim before. Uninstalled all apps and installed only when something specific was required. Recently, tried ordering some apparel during the major sale of Amazon, Flipkart but had to return due to wrong products, etc.

So decided that I won't order apparel from online stores anymore. I may order few electronics as and when required.