E ver thought that someday, an entire marketplace could fit into the palm of your hand? That’s what happened when online shopping took over the world (and most of your free time). But, if you’ve ever felt like you’d like to have a few FAQs answered or just a quick chat to clarify things — and the chat bots don’t cut it — then the new marketplace that works around social media sites and a convenient messaging system is here to the rescue.
A new breed of retailers caters to these tap-happy customers using just Facebook or Instagram and WhatsApp.
If you’ve ever scrolled through your Instagram feed and found a piece of jewellery that you instantly must have, you’ll know what these little brands are doing with their aesthetically-shot pictures. Being able to quickly chat with someone before buying it is a great way to ensure more enquiries turn into sales.
ADVERTISEMENT
On the given WhatsApp number, you could ping to ask the price, availability of size, colour options and other things you do in a regular store, but from the comfort of your phone.
Chennai-based lawyer Atulaa Krishnamurthy came across a pair of earrings on an Instagram handle called Tvameva, and within four days, it was delivered to her doorstep. “It was very convenient because I’m anyway on Instagram for my social media fix, so I didn’t have to flit across multiple shopping websites and apps. Also, figuring out payment was just the matter of a WhatsApp message, and it was easy because I didn’t have to wait on hold or chat with a bot to have things clarified,” she explains. For Atulaa, it’s great to discover smaller brands through Instagram handles, where she was tagged by friends.
Everything from clothes and jewellery to make-up can be bought over a quick WhatsApp chat and a cash transfer, while some even offer cash on delivery. Even sellers find this route easier, for it spares them the effort of setting up an online or a physical store.
ADVERTISEMENT
For mother-daughter duo Hetal and Lekhinee Desai, who run the handloom-focussed The Indian Ethnic Co., Instagram and Facebook is all they need to promote their brand. While the mother does the sourcing and designing, the daughter handles social media and interacts with clients. With about 100 to 150 enquiries coming in for each post, and over a hundred orders coming in each week, this model seems to be working well for the duo.
“The response is much higher online because we reach far more people than a store would allow,”says Lekhinee, who started retailing in April.
Another Instagram-centric brand that has done well is Hathkargha, started by Shubha Mutneja, about a year-and-a-half ago. She prefers this, since hardly one per cent of her sales is affected through the web portal.
“I post something, and within minutes it gets sold. Customers who see my posts late are often disappointed,” she explains. Clocking sales between Rs. 2.5 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh a month, Shubha says she works as a one-man army but she loves it because of the personal connect with clients. And, they too seem to reciprocate the feeling.
Pooja Chopra, an educational consultant from Delhi, who was one of Shubha’s first customers, says she enjoys shopping with her because once she was convinced of the quality, shopping became super-convenient.
“Now, I don’t need to worry about parking worries or finding time. I can just shop during my lunch hour or during my commute, and it’s great when you develop a personal relationship with the seller.”
While customer loyalty is something that sellers such as Shubha bank on, it takes buyers a few hits and misses to get it right. After a couple of not-so-great experiences buying through WhatsApp, Pooja decided to stick to familiar brands.
Unsavoury experiences are not uncommon. Meryl Garcia ordered a pair of earrings through WhatsApp and transferred the money, and received a confirmation. But, she didn’t hear from the seller for a few weeks. She had to keep following up and when she finally got them, she didn’t think it was worth the effort.
And, there are those like Chennai-based Zahana, who retail costume jewellery. Started by Peenal Jain about three-and-a-half years ago, she initially used Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to market her jewellery. A year ago, she started a website to make things simpler, and launched an app as well. “About 85 per cent of sales was generated through Instagram, but that was before sponsored ads came in and became an issue. Now, we have a good base of followers, so we use it more for promotion than sales,” says Peenal, explaining why she thought a website was essential. Certain pieces, she says, would sell out within an hour, while some took weeks. She believes this has to do with visibility — which means paid posts, making the social media-plus WhatsApp route harder for sellers who are starting off.
So, while the Instagram-WhatsApp shopping experience has a few kinks that have to be ironed out, it definitely has potential to become a super-convenient way to shop online.
Whether you’re trying to set up shop, looking to buy something unique, or catching up with some retail therapy, this new shopping ecosystem may just be worth a shot.