Mangalore, Nov 11: Contrary to popular belief, the growing trend of online shopping is not just limited to the large metro cities like New Delhi and Bengaluru, with smaller cities like Mangalore too reporting a surge in the online sales that is suggestive of a move away from the earlier conservative mode of buying IT products off the shelf.
“There was a time when you would see crowded shops in the afternoons where college students came to buy gadgets and IT accessories during lunch recess. However, now it’s hard to spot a single Gen-Y customer in shops,” says a leading retailer in this coastal city.
Most of the footfalls to electronics shops come from people in the late 30s and mid-40s and even if the customers visit our shops, they come with well researched information on the products and ask us for rates displayed on online retail stores. “Even vendors aren’t bothered about slashing prices. Do the vendors and distributors have the same rules in credit systems and prices in larger metros,” he asks.
When Channel Times contacted another leading partner, a representative said the market is slowly slipping away as resellers are moving out of the business. “I used to have eight employees whereas I have only five now. There is not much pressure on the employees. We believe as much as 40% of the business has been swallowed by online retail and large shops,” the reseller says.
He also added that other than some public sector undertakings and banks, there is not much scope in Mangalore. “We even have an MNC IT leader in this building. However, they will not buy even a single mouse from our channel partners. I have seen partners moving out of this business and trying out their luck in other businesses,” he concluded.