Online retailers now go ‘offline’

While most of the retail chains in the country are now scurrying to open online stores to cash in on the e-commerce boom in country, firms like MakeMyTrip, CarTrade, FirstCry and Lenskart are planning to build their offline presence with brick and mortar stores to woo more consumers. This is a strategy to reach out to people who still do not have access to Internet.

According to reports, about 85% of the market is going to remain offline even after five years. Online shopping is convenient but it does not give that touch and feel experience, which customers would specially want. The prices of online and offline however are the same.

For instance, while online travel firm MakeMyTrip has opened 18 company-owned stores in the recent past, baby and kids product portal Firstcry has taken its tally to more than 100 stores across the country... See more .