E-commerce in Sports

India now buys products and services by violently tapping its fingers across the keyboard of a desktop/laptop that was bought in similar manner.With a user base of over 10 million, e commerce has close to revolutionalised the way  people buy and brands sell products. The popularity of the new medium of retailing has led to arguments around timely product deliveries,quality assurance,genuineness of the product and the effect on traditional retailers.

A couple of years back, one would imagine conversation similar to this ,"Hey I think the iPhone is way more expensive in the mall.I would rather buy it from the gadget shop in the local market." Today,everyone seems to have to shifted to the online format of buying and conversation on where to buy seem to end mostly with a .com.

There are standard products that people buy off e commerce portals which include gadgets,books,music,clothes,bags and now even paintings.The though that keeps circling my sporty head is, " Would I ever buy sports equipment online?." Eleven out of ten times the response I get from within is a strong NO. Sports equipment is try personal to the style of the person using it.While,I might go to a shop check out the same model ,test it an then come home and order it,there is one major psychological emotion that I am ignoring in the process and its called ,familiarity. While many professional sportsmen talk about weight distribution in a cricket bat,or the level of tension of the guts of a tennis racket or even the shaft of a golf club, one of the most important things people miss out on is the fact that sports equipment is a translation of ones passion/desire of indulging in a sporting activity. While I consider mysql as an evolved and avid user of technology and the internet,I would still like to have a twenty minute conversation with a salesman before buying a specialized product.

I believe sporting equipment is an extension of a person.It must do the trick on the battle field but must also blend with the personality of the person using it.Many professional sportsmen including Mahesh Bhupati and Yuvraj Singh have recognized the power of e commerce and have set up their own online shopping stores. There are interesting perspectives on why they chose to set up their online ventures.

As an aware Indian passionate consumer of sports goods,I honestly believe I would never buy equipment online because I like the excitement of going to a store and testing  5 other products that I don't intend to buy . I love playing shadow strokes inside a mall store and like I said,I have to see what meets my needs and blend with my life.