Pricebaba CEO on CNBC Awaaz Discussing Consumer Protection When Shopping Online

Dear Friends,

Our CEO, Annkur P Agarwal was on CNBC Awaaz recently discussing how ecommerce marketplaces can do a better job at seller verification to safeguard consumers.

Here is the video of the discussion on CNBC Awaaz Pehredaar show:

At Pricebaba we are very excited about growth of online shopping in India and are very committed to helping the ecosystem work better. To ensure that our consumers have a safe shopping experience, here are a few things one must take care when shopping online.

• Given that there is an option, always register the product you bought with the manufacturer on their website. If the goods you have purchased have a flag against them for any reason, like a recall or theft in the supply chain, the manufacturer can alert you and save embarrassment / harassment later.

• Do remember that when you are buying from a marketplace like Flipkart, Amazon or SnapDeal, these sites are not the actual seller; they’re just a platform. Marketplaces are like malls; they don’t sell anything themselves, rather sellers sell goods within their property. These sellers are spread across the country selling their products. They have individual ratings on these sites. Do not forget to have a look at those. Also the older the seller, generally the more reliable they are (that can be often benchmarked with total number of ratings they have).

Amazon Seller Listings

Flipkart Sellers

• Generally products handled by logistics or warehousing support of the marketplace itself is a sign of trust. This is identified by SD+ (Snapdeal Fulfilled), Flipkart Advantage or Amazon Fulfilled badges next to the product. We also show these on Pricebaba for your convenience. These products are known to have reliable delivery, better returns policy and customer support, since the marketplace manages these aspects themselves.

• At times it is very easy to spot fake products online. The biggest benchmark is the price. If Rs. 1,200 headphones are selling for Rs. 200, there’s a good chance they may be counterfeit. However given the excessive discounting on occasions like the Great Indian Festive Season or the Big Billion Days, there’s no saying if it indeed is a real deal. Look at product reviews on these marketplaces to see real buyer comments. Most portals clearly mark if a review is written by an authentic buyer, and you’d want to pay more heed to these.

• One of the most common complaints we have heard from online shoppers is about late deliveries and damaged products. Logistics is a real challenge for all marketplaces. They use a mix of their own delivery networks and 3rd party. Many products may be shipped by the seller themselves too without the assitance of the marketpalce involved. Given your area and coverage by leading courier companies, the service quality at your end and delivery timelines may differ (especially for COD orders). As you start shopping online, you can start to see trends on delivery timelines to your pin code by different courier companies and marketplaces. You may also ask your friends in your neighborhood about their experience with different sites and accordingly trust the one which gives you the best service.

So bottom line — Making purchases online are not without its pitfalls. But that’s the risk a consumer has to take for the convenience of ordering almost anything under the sun, from the comfort of their homes (or offices). Come to think of it, you can be duped when buying anything offline as well, so taking the above-mentioned precautions when shopping online as you would otherwise, should result in a happy shopping experience.