Madurai, Aug 22: While most part of the country was being invaded by the online market places, Madurai had remained insulated and even the last year’s retail expo organized by the local association was successful. Now even here the traditional channels are feeling the heat from online channels.
According to key partners, eight out of ten customers demand retailers to sell products at the price of e-market places. “Earlier customers had the thought that there will be less price disparity between online and offline and never bothered to shed a few extra pounds for touch-and-feel experience. However, with the price difference bring high between retailers and e-tailers, many customers are buying from us demanding the online price,” said a leading partner in North Veli street, the IT market of Madurai.
There is also a change in the mind set according to another partner. “Online shopping has to do something with the psychology of the customers. For example, in a group of 10, the one who purchases from online store becomes a smart shopper whereas the customer who goes to a retail store is seen as a fool,” he said.
No threat from LFR:
Partners also feel that the threat from LFR is very minimal in Madurai region. “People here do not prefer buying from large format retail as they are not used to that. Even though there are five digital stores, another advantage is they do not house the products which we have,” said another retailer.