What happens when you land up in
a new city, are bad with local navigation, have a hectic schedule at work and
in dire need of shopping? Ting tong, e-commerce comes to rescue!
Well, that’s my story. Ever since
I left the comfort zone of my hometown last year and relocated to a new city,
my life has been super busy. After slogging at work for 5 days, all I wanna do
on a weekend is spend a lazy day with Mr. Hubby, a good movie and food ordered
from my favourite restaurant. But then, shopping is to woman what dope is to an
addict! Sorry, bad example but you see that’s how it is! No matter how much we
have, we always want more! In a city like Mumbai, I would rather prefer
spending quality time with Mr. Hubby at home than spending half of our weekends
stuck in traffic jams, quenching my thirst for shopping. Thanks to online shopping, I am able
to pamper myself to best of both the worlds! A smart
phone and hubby’s credit card is all I need to sit at home, yet manage to
impress my colleagues with the latest, trendiest and the coolest stuff they can’t
sometimes get in stores!
I realized the power of e
commerce the most when I became a mommy. Not in my wildest dreams can I think
of shopping with a cranky baby, whose vicious cycle of feeding, poo & pee would
keep me confined to the feeding room of the mall! But, I am a smart
mom. I have shopped almost everything for my little one online – from diapers
to toys, feeding bottles, clothes (size 0 clothes aren’t really an issue when
purchasing online!)…u name it and I got it.
That’s when I began to wonder how
these trends in e commerce have changed the way we shop for our
kids –
Convenience – We can
shop from anywhere, anything, anytime and it will be delivered to us within the
committed timelines. What’s more, with Flipkart, one can also choose Express
delivery just in case you need the product urgently! Feature like FlipKart Ping and Image search make shopping a fun experience!
Easy returns – Who wants
trips back and forth to the store when you can manage easy returns from home!
Genuine products and sales
support - Buying from trusted websites guarantees genuine products.
There is also a dedicated call center to cater to all customer queries.
Apps – I swear
by my FlipKart App! Not only does it make shopping convenient, it also notifies
me of latest offers, deals and products of my interest!
Discounts and offers – If you
are a smart and aware shopper, you can really make good use of the deals and
discounts e commerce has to offer.
All brands under one umbrella – When I
was a kid, my friends would flaunt the branded toys their
parents bought during international trips. Thanks to e commerce
websites like Flipkart, we can shop for any international brand from the
comfort of our homes.
Reviews – This is
one of my favorite features. I love to go through the review before taking my pick.
The #FlipkartKids Indiblogger Meet
on 19th December was about all this and a lot of fun.
The moment I received the Indiblogger mail
about the meet, I was all excited and eager since I myself shop everything
online for my baby! Flipkart has launched India's largest online kids store and the meet
revolved around the same. There was also a twitter contest where one had to
post pic of your kiddo’s favorite toy and the best 10 tweets would win Rs. 1000
Flipkart vouchers. I immediately got in action and posted few tweets with pics
of my little one’s toys.
Somehow, Mumbai traffic loves to
play spoilsport for my Indimeets. However, this time I wasn’t willing to give
up. A clueless cabbie, turtle speed traffic and few frantic calls to
friends later I was at the venue - Blue Frog. My savior blogger buddy Sujata Tawde who had guided me to the
venue welcomed me and I took a huge sigh of relief. Vineet welcomed us and
suggested we quickly register and grab our lunch as the event was just about to
begin. After all the struggle to reach the venue, I was super hungry. So, we
dashed to the buffet and filled ourselves with some veggie delights. However,
Sujata soon spotted the sinful strawberry pastries and we pampered our sweet
palates. As I regained some energy, I looked around and realized what a
wonderful venue Blue Frog was! The venue was definitely worth the drive &
the seating arrangement was just so so cool! To add to the fun was Chhota Bheem
himself, obliging everyone with a hug and a pic!
The event began shortly with Anup
welcoming us all, along with Kalpana Behara, a veteran mommy blogger. It was a
fun and insightful session where she shared her experiences as a mommy blogger – How she deals with writers block; how much to
reveal abut one’s life on the blog; and what keeps her motivated. As a newcomer
to parent blogging, the session was special for me and I listened with rapt
attention.
Next, it was time for a panel
discussion with representatives from Flipkart, Mattel and Chhota Bheem team on
how e commerce is changing the way we shop for our kids. Many bloggers too
shared their views and clarified their doubts regarding online shopping.
After a short break began fun
time with a performance by the in-house band Blunder In the Code! I had missed
their performance in the last Indimeet and so I thoroughly enjoyed myself this
time with my blogger friends!
An Indimeet is never complete
without THE activity. Going with the theme of e commerce, the game was Ad Mad where
each team had to advertise FlipKart products in the most innovative manner. After
a lot of brainstorming, my team of 10 presented the skit “Age of innocence” where
the #FlipkartSanta brought products for various stages of a kid’s life.
True to an IndiMeet, there was
endless selfies, giggles and lots and lots of fun with blogger friends. Being
the last Indi Meet of the year, all of us took the opportunity to exchange New Year wishes.
Just as we were about to move out,
we got a cute li’l surprise – Very cute Chhota Bheem soft toy from the upcoming
movie Chhota Bheem and Himalayan Adventure! I was as excited as a 10 year old
for the toy is really cute and we got excuse for another round of selfies with
Chhota Bheem toy!
The last Indi Meet for the year
2015 was definitely full of fun, friends and e commerce insights!