Kolkata: New Market traders go digital to connect with shoppers

KOLKATA: Marketing and selling on social media, video calls to finalize sales, pictures via WhatsApp…shopping has taken a whole new dimension in New Market post lockdown. While eagerly waiting for customers to return to their favourite haunts, the shop owners have lost no time in using today’s communication technologies to connect with clients and these are showing positive results.

A large number of shop owners, across products, have come together on a New Market Kolkata page on Facebook to advertise their products and inform shoppers about discounts.Customers can visit the page and enter the virtual stores via links provided and make their choice. That apart, each store is also sending bulk messages to connect with customers, who are happy at this novel personalised shopping experience that they never got from their favourite shops at New Market so long.
Rituparna Ganguly, a Salt Lake resident, has been shopping for her saris from Bombay Silk Store for 25 years and was extremely happy when she was connected via video conferencing by Vinay Mangalani, owner of the store. “She made her choice via a video call and then we sent her WhatsApp images from where she picked up printed tussars. She was our first such remote shopper on the second day of re-opening,” Mangalani said. Sharmila Ghosh, a resident of Kankurgachhi, bought six sarees the next day the same way. “I shortlisted 10 from a video call and these were sent to my residence from where I selected six, all pending Poila Boishakh gifts,” she said.
Shops selling silver jewellery, crockery and dress materials said they have been able to digitally connect with shoppers and sales have picked up already. “We have touched base with our loyal customers through Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp and the response is very encouraging. They are pleasantly surprised when we are asking them to choose from a wide range of pictures that carry details of weight and pricing, including rebates on making charges, plus doorstep delivery,” said Vinayak Barwani, a jewellery trader. Customers are encouraged to make payments via UPI, net banking or Paytm.
Some shop owners are even tying up with food aggregators for home delivery, as is the case with Kombination, a store for bed linen. Sachin Gupta, the owner of the store, said that since the food business has been slow, a large number of delivery boys were sitting idle. Hence, the tie-up was readily done with aggregator Swiggy. Shop owners have also started negotiating with others now. Some stores have started talking to social media marketing professionals to start online promotions of their items in a more systematic way.