When everything goes online, can rockets and atom bombs stay behind — not the menacing weapons but those burst to celebrate the festival of lights. So it has been this Deepavali.
For those too lazy to go festival shopping, the e-commerce websites have come in handy. It has been the plan of a group of techies from Technopark to send firecrackers and sweets to your doorsteps.
The Thiruvananthapuram-based websites developed by these professionals offered firecrackers and sweets at the click of the mouse in the days leading to the festival.
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malapadakkam.com, an online firecracker shop, was started last year. On trivandrumgrocery.com, which was launched recently, you could order assorted sweets.
“The response from customers has been immense. Over the past week, we have received more than 1,500 orders. On Monday, we received close to 500 orders. This year, we have included sweets for sale,” S.R. Nithin, an employee at malapadakkam.com, says.
Fixed prices and discounts attract many to these websites. Flowerpots, atom bombs, chorsa, chitput, wheelies…, you get all varieties available at any firecracker shop in the city. The orders are passed to licensed vendors and the firecrackers are delivered home.
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“From special children’s pack, which contains relatively safe firecrackers, to mega packs that contain all varieties, one can choose the items on the website,” Sajith Sasidharan of trivandrumgrocery.com says.
“We launched the website only two weeks ago, but we have already received 13 orders for firecrackers. People prefer such arrangements.” The website offers home delivery for purchases above Rs.500.
“When we buy firecrackers at the last minute, the shopkeepers tend to sell them at exorbitant prices. We do not want to kill the fun; so we buy them blindly without bargaining. However, these sites offer special discount prices and so such hassles never happen. Moreover, you get it home-delivered,” M. Sreeja, a bank employee, who has also ordered sweets this time, says.