Even as a number of ecommerce sites are trying out 'social commerce', where users login with Facebook or Twitter accounts, a new bunch of startups are taking this a step further and creating sites where the 'social' is as important as the 'commerce'.
Sites like BuynBrag, Koolkart, Teritree and LimeRoadare trying to mimic real life shopping experience - where family and friends go to a store together, suggest products and share their opinions before the actual purchase.
"In real life people discover brands, products and trends through friends and family while talking and interacting with them," said Prithvi Raj Tejavath, who co-founded Gurgaon-based BuynBrag in January and launched the site in October. "We are trying to mimic the offline shopping experience online."
Suneil Chawla, co-founder of one-year-old Koolkart, agrees. "Online shopping so far has been an isolated experience. We want to change that," he adds.
Experts suggest that social commerce sites are leveraging the rise of online social networking to drive sales. "Social media has become quite powerful. The network effect or power of suggestion gets multiplied at such a prolific level that it has a profound effect on sales," said Ankur Bisen, vice-president of retail at consulting firm Technopak.
LimeRoad, founded earlier this year, targets women. In this website users can pick products from various categories and create collections and share them with friends.
"We want to bring the joy of shopping with friends online," said Manish Saksena, former COO-Tommy Hilfiger Apparels India, who co-founded LimeRoad with Suchi Mukherjee, earlier the managing director of UK-based online classifieds site Gumtree.
Chennai-based Koolkart's Chawla said Indian sites are following global trends. Social shopping sites have been growing in popularity in mature online markets like the US for over three years. Sites like Polyvore and Lockerzhave seen their user base multiply rapidly.
Users of Bangalore-based Teritree Technologies can start a live conversation with friends on its site, which is in its beta version. Its mobile app will allow users to take photos of clothes they have tried on, upload them and conduct instant polls with friends.
Despite social shopping being a new phenomenon in the country, venture investors are already getting on board. LimeRoad raised $5 million (about 27 crore) from Matrix Partners and LightSpeed Ventures earlier this year before the site launched.
Avnish Bajaj, managing partner at Matrix, which has invested in US' Polyvore, admits that social commerce is still a buzz word in the country. "But we are in the business of investing ahead of a trend and here with LimeRoad we are trying to create a new trend in online shopping."
Sites like BuynBrag, Koolkart, Teritree and LimeRoadare trying to mimic real life shopping experience - where family and friends go to a store together, suggest products and share their opinions before the actual purchase.
"In real life people discover brands, products and trends through friends and family while talking and interacting with them," said Prithvi Raj Tejavath, who co-founded Gurgaon-based BuynBrag in January and launched the site in October. "We are trying to mimic the offline shopping experience online."
Suneil Chawla, co-founder of one-year-old Koolkart, agrees. "Online shopping so far has been an isolated experience. We want to change that," he adds.
Experts suggest that social commerce sites are leveraging the rise of online social networking to drive sales. "Social media has become quite powerful. The network effect or power of suggestion gets multiplied at such a prolific level that it has a profound effect on sales," said Ankur Bisen, vice-president of retail at consulting firm Technopak.
LimeRoad, founded earlier this year, targets women. In this website users can pick products from various categories and create collections and share them with friends.
"We want to bring the joy of shopping with friends online," said Manish Saksena, former COO-Tommy Hilfiger Apparels India, who co-founded LimeRoad with Suchi Mukherjee, earlier the managing director of UK-based online classifieds site Gumtree.
Chennai-based Koolkart's Chawla said Indian sites are following global trends. Social shopping sites have been growing in popularity in mature online markets like the US for over three years. Sites like Polyvore and Lockerzhave seen their user base multiply rapidly.
Users of Bangalore-based Teritree Technologies can start a live conversation with friends on its site, which is in its beta version. Its mobile app will allow users to take photos of clothes they have tried on, upload them and conduct instant polls with friends.
Despite social shopping being a new phenomenon in the country, venture investors are already getting on board. LimeRoad raised $5 million (about 27 crore) from Matrix Partners and LightSpeed Ventures earlier this year before the site launched.
Avnish Bajaj, managing partner at Matrix, which has invested in US' Polyvore, admits that social commerce is still a buzz word in the country. "But we are in the business of investing ahead of a trend and here with LimeRoad we are trying to create a new trend in online shopping."
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