Interesting Things and Emptiness

In the physical-store windows of all kinds, we see different kinds of things that the shop-keeper stocks and sells. Most often some unusual or interesting things in the window attract our attention and prompt us to enter and check out the stuff.

Once past the entrance windows, we see sections dedicated to a single category of goods.

When we enter an electronics shop like Croma or Vijay Sales, we often encounter number of television screens lined up on the wall. Most often all showing the same visuals. Thankfully. You can focus on one screen. And then another without feeling like you are missing out on something.

When we go to the homepages of the big ecommerce sites, 'blocks of visuals' like TV screens described above stare at us. So what do we stare at? Would depend on what frame we are in. Looking for very specific stuff or just generally in a mood to shop. If we are looking for very specific stuff, do we these blocks of visuals help? Even if we aren't looking for specific stuff, do these blocks help?

I often find that these blocks of visuals on homepages are least helpful to me. And there are many such sub-homepages too that are not really helpful. Only when I really enter a section-page that has listed the specific goods that I really get a sense to getting closer to the thing I am looking for. And even then, I consider myself lucky if I get the stuff I have in mind. And checking beyond a certain number of listings certainly makes it less interesting to shop.

It seems to me that these portals have arranged themselves in this way since they want to offer a lot of interesting things to us in a short span of time so that we can find what we want in a short span of time. Or so that we can spend a hell lot of time browsing the interesting things so that we can eventually buy the most interesting thing. Does it happen that way? Has it happened that way with you?

xyzkart.com Platforms

Was intrigued by the kart.com names suddenly flooding the market. Found this. Highlighted in red above. :)

Flipkart started as a books company, so the words 'flip' (flipping pages) and kart. Now it sells a whole range of stuff. Including electronics, mobiles, fashion goods et al. In contrast, these guys are trying to build kart.coms for each and every category. Would be interesting to check the results after some time.

What do you think will happen most likely?

Should you build a bazaar?

I just saw this ad on the front page of today's TOI. Buildabazaar.com is a platform to open your online shop. It's a venture of the now quite famous e-commerce portal infibeam.com.

Opening an online shop sounds easy. Sounds glamorous too (doesn't it?). And why not? E-com ventures are a talk of the town. Lotsa ads appearing on television. And for a long time, ever since I did my stint at flora2000.com (now goldboxx.in), I felt the same.

We've been trying to set up Mississippi online. And it has been one mighty task. This, I say, in spite of the innumerable e-commerce sites which have come up in the recent years.

My context is setting up a small e-commerce enterprise. If one tries to set up an independent e-commerce site, unless one knows coding for the web, one needs to collaborate with some amazing coders. 'Amazing' needs qualification. Coders who really try to understand your ambitions, your products and the audience for your products. Difficult to meet such guys. More difficult considering the money one has in the pocket when starting a small enterprise.

Suppose you don't set up an independent site. Then? You oughta have amazing writing skills, great visual merchandising skills (especially photography and graphical skills). But you would say one can outsource all that. Then the guy who takes such an outsourced work should have a good understanding of the same things I discussed in the last paragraph. I am not sure writing beautifully (don't confuse it with using flowering words) about products is an easy task. Nor am I sure about visual merchandising.

Is that all? Even if using an already existing platform, getting used to using it efficiently takes a good time. Software is machine. It takes time to become adept at using the machine.

Lastly, you need an amazing ability of sitting-in-front-of-the-screen. For once, I don't possess that. And while I spend a good time on the laptop, I just find it extremely difficult to stay focussed on just one application/website/piece of software.

So build a bazaar? Actually, build a bazaar in literal terms is 'build a shop'. Bazaar means you have an audience. I'm afraid here that isn't the case. Even if infibeam.com has its audience and displays your products to that audience, for your shop to work, you need to be able to garner good attention.

And while you need all the skills mentioned above, you need exceptional skills to garner attention and convert it into 'trust' for your shop. That takes some doing.

My recommendation, garner attention and build trust, first. If need be, build skills to garner attention and to build trust. And then build a shop.

It's a machine after all

I'm talking about software programs and platforms. Martjack and many such ready e-commerce platforms say, set up your shop in a few minutes. And after that what?

It's a widely prevalent notion that set up an e-commerce shop and it's all done. E-commerce in general is growing and so orders will flow in.

Platforms are nothing but engines or machines. They consume energy, effort and skills. And informational engines are more complex than any other type. There's a learning curve to using these platforms and becoming efficient.

After the deployment of such a machine, there's still the big question. Who's gonna buy from your shop? For though google's working, it's working for all others as well. And it's working big time for the leaders who have learned and have been running the engines ever more efficiently and effectively. There was a time when merely deploying the engine would ensure some good results. But that was when there was a scarcity of such engines in the first place. Now it's all common.

The challenge again is one of connection. How? With whom? When? If this is the real challenge, I suggest do not deploy any such engines. Don't waste your time on learning machines. Instead, use the simplest and most flexible tool available and showcase your stuff in as easy a manner as possible. And spend great effort and time in connecting.

Managing the 'e' in e-commerce

Even as I try to get missi.in going, I realize it's a very different ball game and it's a mammoth challenge.

The thing is all about that 'e'.

It means we need to have good photography skills for good visual merchandising on the web.

It means we need to be good at graphic design; that in turn means we need to be good at certain popular graphic design software.

It means we need to be in general very good at structuring information.

It means we need to be good at coding.

It means we need to be good at writing.

It means we need to be good at interacting.

It means we need to be extremely good and we need to be real fast along with being good.