Google promises better deals at its shopping fest

Hobbit · Dec 9, 2013

NEW DELHI: Google will kick off its second Great Online Shopping Festival (GOSF) in India from December 11. The fest, which will see participation by over 200 e-commerce portals, will run for 72 hours. Google said the GOSF will bring leading e-commerce players in India on a common platform to provide the best possible deals.

Websites like Flipkart, Myntra, IndiaTimes Shopping, Amazon India, Jabong and Snapdeal will be part of the fest.

Google India chief Rajan Anandan said the GOSF is company's attempt to familiarize more Indian web users with online shopping. The first GOSF, held last year, was only a 24-hour affair. The company said that the most e-commerce portals saw over 350% growth on the day of GOSF last year.

"GOSF is India's version of cyber monday in the west and is an exciting platform to raise awareness and consumer adoption of online shopping in India. With over 200 million Internet users in the country, more and more Internet users are opting to shop online. Industry estimates suggest there are close to 20 million online shoppers in India... it is estimated to grow to 50 million in next few years making it a $16 billion industry," said Anandan.

Google said that last year nearly 50% of people who shopped during the GOSF were the first time online shoppers.

While Google may have big numbers to show, some of the online shoppers are not too impressed with the GOSF. Raju PP, a blogger who often buys gadgets online, says that last year the deals were bad.

"From what I remember, prices were inflated and brought down to levels which were available even before the GOSF began. Existing deals were rebranded for the GOSF, so it was nothing close to Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals we see in US," said Raju.

Google said this time shoppers can expect better and bigger deals. The company said the GOSF partners will offer up to 60% discount on luxury watches, 20% discount on air tickets on domestic routes, up to 50% discount on speakers, headphones and men's accessories, up to 80% discount on home decor, flat 40% discount on furniture, up to 50% discount on TVs, up to 40% discount on mobile phones, up to 45% discount on computers and tablets, up to 30% discount on cameras and 40% discount on men's footwear.

Nitin Bawankule, industry director for e-commerce at Google India, said, "We have extended the festival to three days to cater to the growing demand and hope to attract many first time buyers this year... (our partners) have all lined up incredible deals for the bargain hunters and first time buyers."

Airtel, Intel and Paytm are the preferred partners for the initiative. Apart from promoting the initiative, Airtel will offer a flat 10% cashback on all online transactions on top of the other offers by participating websites to customers who transact using Airtel money. And to help people connect to the internet, Airtel is giving away a free dongle on new 4G and a free Wifi modem on new broadband connections.

Intel has worked with companies who make Intel-powered laptops for the GOSF this year. The company said that discounts will be available on several Intel-powered laptops during the GOSF.
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...at-its-shopping-fest/articleshow/27134081.cms

Hobbit · Dec 9, 2013

Lets see if they keep their words.

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Google promises better deals at its shopping fest

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Google promises better deals at its shopping fest

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