Sunday, January 23, 2011

The ROBO Generation: Business Idea

We all have heard robots speaking in a strange tone, that mechanical sound which comes out obviously is not something which we humans connect with too heartily, though robots may help us in everyday life, performing many a functions!

ROBO - is not robotic, its the new way of perception oriented buying, the new wave of building trust
What is ROBO?
ROBO - is research online, buy online. YES! We all must have heard about E-commerce and in the past few years, we have witnessed the phenomena of E-commerce take a solid shape. There was a time when we were all a little away from the idea of using our credit/ debit cards online, but today, well, a good consumer percentage is buying online.

So how has the online buying space changed the way we have been shopping?
Online shopping has essentially revolutionized the way we have been shopping. Sitting in the comfort of our own homes we can now have access to almost every thinkable product on the planet. We know, its still difficult for many to believe that you can buy something like a piece of cloth online or may be jewelery online! Lets keep this point on hold for sometime.

But why are trends changing
The consumer today is crunched on time. Lets be honest that one thing which we all are crunched about is time and its an obvious when we say/ hear that time is money, well it sure is. The one major benefit of commerce online is saving on time.

But is it simply just about time?

  • Access to a wide variety of products globally
Now you can shop for something you liked and get it in your hands from anywhere across the Globe.
  • Save Money
Surely many of us reading this blog post must have had engaged in some sort of E-commerce at some points of time in our lives and must have had saved money. There are exclusive discounts present online on many products and its a win-win for both the retailer and the customer.

But how do I trust just a website?
Now that's a real question! How do I trust a website? Its an obvious, that placing trust on just a website is not an easy thing until it is another eBay or a IndiaTimes.
Lets first create an understanding of the technology that goes at the back-end. Its not just a website that you are interacting with, its a portal, which is guarded by strong codes and is highly secure.

While you actually enter the details of your banking accounts/ cards on a website, the actual transaction takes place through the servers of a banking institution and not the website. These are highly encrypted 128 bit codes which are held strongly and hence your information is not compromised.

Obviously you must have a fair look at the website and know about them, before buying from it. There can always be fraudulent sites, which may look like wow, but may be fraudulent at the back-end.

Not satisfied yet, then go read reviews!!
The best part about online shopping is that you can get reviews from customers of a product globally and that too honest one's. And well, companies have had to change many a ways of their operations with the views which have been done online. Eg: the recent Apple MacBook Air 11.5 inches, many customers have uploaded videos on YouTube, actually showing how sometimes the screen flickers and many prospective customers have responded back with their queries on this one!!

That's the power of online commerce. If you actually go through real reviews online before making a buy decision, you will actually be saving both on time and money.

And where is the business idea: the case!
The case we are making here is with social media emerging globally, there are interesting trends as to how customers are changing the way they buy. Their buying behaviors are changing, which is largely being affected by the online commerce.

There still is a good opportunity in the market for platforms which can get customers to actually review products online for the good of many more and brands actually responding back to the same. Though there are platforms existing of the sort, but with social commerce setting in, there is more to what we has been already scratched!

For more entrepreneurial opportunities, well we at IndiaMart are all ears! Get in touch, drop a comment now!

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