Logged Into Fashion

Online retail,on the other hand,is free and unobstrusive. No one judges you here,no one steps on your toes to make a choice. “A friend invited me to join Fashion and You and I went crazy shopping,” confesses the 29-year-old photographer. She adds,“The discounts were,of course,fabulous,but the relief of shopping for great stuff without feeling awkward was also great.” Rastogi isn’t alone in feeling this awkwardness. Ishita Swarup,CEO and co-founder of 99Labels,a fashion e-commerce website,too admits to feeling intimidated in fashion boutiques and luxury stores. “If you walk into one of these stores wearing a pair of jeans,the salesperson will probably ignore you and attend to a better-dressed customer. It’s like they think you’re not good enough to shop there,” she says.

Radhika Dhawan,founder of First Row,says that it was such experiences that led to her creating the e-commerce website. “One of the prime reasons why I got into this is so that people who are scared by fashion could feel a little better about shopping,” she says. According to her,while the number of the fashion curious has grown in

India,majority stay away because they’re worried that they don’t know enough to be able to buy. “We’re trying to address that problem as well,by putting up articles and posts about designers we feature and their work. For the uninitiated,our website could be a gateway into this fascinating world. Instead of feeling foolish while asking questions at a store,they have the advantage of anonymity on a website and can ask any question,” she says.

The ability to browse through collections without feeling obliged to buy something is another big advantage that e-fashion offers. Pearl Uppal,CEO of Fashion and You,says,“Collections are available round-the-clock,without the interruption of pesky sales people. Members can make repeat visits without worrying about what the store manager or employees think. This is a relief for people who feel obliged to buy when they visit a shop repeatedly.” Swarup adds that this anonymity also encourages shy customers to experiment more,especially when it comes to risque garments and lingerie.

To make up for the absence of an actual salesperson who could make recommendations and help with sizes and fits,fashion websites give detailed descriptions of the products. Swarup,says that on 99Labels,each product comes with an explanation of what body type it will suit.

Besides,as is with other e-commerce sites like Amazon and Netflix,fashion websites too can give recommendations based on the items that a member views or purchases. However,she admits,“While this is still not a perfect system,it is pretty good and is getting better as the data base increases.”