'Customers check our designs online, visit store'

NAGPUR: Online shopping seems to have peaked this season as markets are yet to get the festive bustle.
Besides discounts, the e-tailers also offer other conveniences like a buyer-friendly return policy with instant refunds and ease of making payments. "In a store, I would be forced to buy another item. But while shopping online even if I return it at the time of delivery, there will be no questions asked," says Gunjan Rathi, a shopaholic.
"All this is good to be wholly true. Selling cheap rip-offs, especially hand bags and shoes, is rampant online," says Gursharan Arora, who runs a multi-brand apparel and accessories store.
But all the aggressive advertising has not made any dent on the sales of stores selling readymade garments. "Footfalls are less but there are other reasons for it too," says Jetane Gopwani, owner of Apna Bazaar. "The buyer still wants to touch and feel the cloth and try the outfits. A shirt today comes in three different fits, so a person would like to try them out," he says.
Setting up an online store too is what Brijesh Agarwal at Gaysons, a fashion store, has done. "For us, it also works the other way. Customers check our designs online and visit store," he adds.