BigBasket - Numero Uno in Online Groceries Shopping!

BigBasket - Numero Uno in Online Groceries Shopping!

Tags: BigBasket Big Basket Amazon FlipKart Online Offline Retail Food Grocery Groceries Shopping Shop Niche Players Portals Website Stores Products Customers Convenience Affordability Choice Furniture Baby Care Fashion Cosmetics Eyewear Jewellery Auto Accessories Hardware Home Services Wealth Rich Money Price Amount Overheads Homes Needs Channel Chain Potential Opportunity Growth Experience Successful FabMall Aditya Birla Group More Supermarkets Marketplace Market Catalogue Categorised Desktops Laptops Tablets Mobiles Apps Android Apple Operating Systems Fresh Fruits Vegetables Rice Dals Spices Seasonings Packaged Beverages Personal Care Meats Brand Cater Choices Network Advantage Traffic Commuting Parking Troubles Purchasing Browsing Order Value Instant Special Offers Discounts Cashback Coupons Savings Fuel Refer Earn Family Friends Gift Cards Search Cart Design Lists Secured Leakage Confidential Information Payments Credit Debit Cards Net Banking Wallets Sodexho Cash on Delivery COD Fast Flexible Doorstep Delivery Schedules Issues Perishable Guarantee Reimburse Quality Return Refund Replacement Queries Complaints Toll Number Email Messaging Social Media Facebook Twitter InstaGram Google+ FAQs Infestation Policy Escalation Agents

In the world of online shopping, niche players and portals are growing progressively and making a mark for themselves by enabling customer convenience, affordability and choice. Apart from general online portals like Amazon and FlipKart, today we have niche players that cover furniture, baby care products, fashion, cosmetics, eyewear, jewellery, auto accessories, hardware and home services. These vertical portals are just a sample of the endless list of niche players in online shopping. One of the key segments is online grocery shopping. Typically, the general population spends a good amount of time in shopping for groceries on a monthly basis, if not weekly. As part of the process, they expend lot of time and effort in procuring their regular groceries for their homes by shopping at brick and mortar stores. Clearly, groceries from physical stores cost more for a variety of reasons including fixed overheads like establishment rent and staff costs.

Fortunately, for customers, the whole world of online shopping has transformed the shopping landscape. This is particularly true where niche or specific needs of customers are concerned like groceries. One of the key specialised players in the online segment for online groceries is www.BigBasket.com. Big Basket (Innovative Retail Concepts PVT. LTD.) is the largest player in the food and online groceries channel in the country. It was established in the October 2011 by its co-founders Abhinay Choudhari, Hari Menon, Vipul Parekh and VS Sudhakar. The portal has expanded exponentially since its inception in the online grocery space. And it has barely scratched the potential opportunity in the segment with a huge quantum of growth available to be tapped.

The portal has been wonderful to customers and it has proven itself consistently. Here are key facets of BigBasket.

1. BigBasket is backed by well experienced and trusted founders namely Abhinay Choudhari, Hari Menon, Vipul Parekh and VS Sudhakar who carry a wealth of experience in the grocery segment. They earlier managed the successful physical retail chain FabMall (a chain of grocery supermarkets) which was sold to the Aditya Birla Group and now captioned as More.
2. The website is quite well organised and categorised with a user friendly interface for customers making it absolutely a delight to shop online for groceries. The process of selection of products on the site is quite intuitive and customer friendly.
3. Customers can shop either on desktops / laptops or go in for mobile apps. The website offers apps for both Android and Apple Operating Systems.
4. The portal incorporates a wide range of food and grocery products for homes and is factually a one stop shop for customers. It has a spread of over 18,000 products in its catalogue and covers everything that customers look out for from fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Rice and Dals, Spices and Seasonings to Packaged products, Beverages, Personal care products and Meats (to name a few).
5. The portal has a rich variety of branded products mixed with in-house products to cater to the choices of customers.
6. While it is not available all over the country, yet it covers the top cities in the country with a network of over 30 locations.
7. The biggest advantage for customers of shopping on BigBasket is that they are saved the drudgery of grocery shopping from physical stores. Shopping online is wonderful. It saves time and effort that is often lost in traffic commuting, parking troubles, hopping from shop to another, long payment queues and carrying heavy bags after purchasing groceries needed for homes. BigBasket offers an easy and relaxed way of browsing and shopping for groceries from the comfort of our homes or offices.
8. Another key factor that weighs in on customers is that BigBasket offers huge discounts on the selected products going all the way up to 20% of order value through instant discounts and cashback. There are a variety of special offers and discount coupons usually available on the website through the year. Also consider the savings on fuel when we commute and buy groceries from physical stores. And of course, as the saying goes, "time is money".
9. The portal also has a Refer and Earn feature. Through this feature, you can refer family and friends and earn gift amounts to use for your own groceries.
10. Customers can also purchase Gift Cards on BigBasket for the purpose of gifting a BigBasket Gift Card to their near and dear ones.
11. If you are unsure where to find the products you are looking for on the website, then you can use the Search feature with generic name of the product. That will pull out all the branded and unbranded names for the product.
12. The Shopping Cart of the portal is designed with the customer in mind. Customers can prepare their grocery lists or add to shopping cart in advance and check out whenever they are comfortable.
13. The website is a highly secured website and ensures that there is no leakage of confidential customer information.
14. Customers have the option of completing payments for their orders through multiple channels such as Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Net Banking, Wallets, Sodexho and Cash on Delivery (COD).
15. The company offers fast and flexible delivery schedules to customers with doorstep delivery. We can choose the date and time that we need delivery of our selected products. This includes same day delivery as well and ensures that there are no issues with perishable products. 
16. The delivery cost is very low at Rs.20/- per order and is almost not noticeable.
17. The portal offers on-time guarantee of delivery of products. On rare occasions when delivery is delayed beyond the selected timelines, customers are reimbursed  certain amount of their order.
18. BigBasket is particular about quality of products. In the event that there are issues of quality, customers can return the products either for replacement or refund with no questions asked.
19. Customers can raise their queries or complaints, as the case may be, through a variety of channels like calling their toll number, sending an email or messaging on social media (Facebook, Twitter, InstaGram & Google+). Alternatively, the portal has a comprehensive FAQs section for the benefit of customers who are not well versed with online shopping of groceries.

Overall, BigBasket is an excellent portal that is a blessing for customers. From our own experience, it has saved us lot of time, effort and cost. We have mostly done away going to physical stores for our groceries. Of course, there are still times when we need to visit brick and mortar stores but that considerably come down without any compromise to our convenience and comfort. If anything, BigBasket has made our lives that much more easier.

However, there are times when there are clear quality issues with some of the products like Dals wherein sometimes infestation has been observed. Further, with some packaged items, we have noticed that they are delivered close to Best Use Date or Expired. The quality of vegetables and fruits has come down too. That is the reason we still do visit physical stores as and when required. To give credit to BigBasket, they do have a No Questions Asked Return Policy. Their delivery timelines are typically maintained. On rare occasions when there is delay, they reimburse certain set amounts to the customer.

One area where BigBasket clearly can use improvement is their escalation matrix which seems to go nowhere despite customers asking repeatedly for escalation. Their agents while fine with the typical issues are like robots when it comes to discretion or escalation and go by a set script which tires out customers. Perhaps, you can not have it all!

FirstCry - Online Retailer for Baby Products!

FirstCry - Online Retailer for Baby Products!

Tags: FirstCry Mahindra Group Venture Reputed Reputation Credible Niche Online Offline Portal Platform Segment Network Section Website Market Marketplace Retailer Stores Shops Shopping Enroll Registering Merchants Enterpreneurs Franchisee Customers Parent Baby Children Kids Care Ages Blog Parenting Guide Products Choices Price Pricing Purchases Order Placement Categorised Web Listings Pictures Zoom Domestic International Brands Collection Carter's Mattel Ben10 Pigeon Funskool Hotwheels Nuby Farlin Medela Pampers Disney Barbie Gerber Fisher Price Mee Mee Priority Vehicle Commuting Congested Jammed Traffic Parking Wastage Worries Anxiety Tension Competitors Attractive Offers Discounts Coupon Codes Loyalty Cash Facility Bookmark Wish List Search Tracking Free Shipping Quick Deliveries Secure Safeguard Data Information Payment Options Credit Debit Cards Net Banking Cash on Delivery COD PayTM Wallet PayPal UPI EMI Visa MasterCard Maestro Diners Club RuPay Wealth Channels Social Media Facebook Youtube Twitter Google+ Email Call Phone Contact Centre FAQs Queries Complaints Issues Resolve Opportunities Service Return Refund Policy

These days, the trend of online shopping is increasing by leaps and bounds. For those of us who value our time and effort, online shopping is just wonderful. Clearly, shopping online saves a lot of time that is otherwise spent on commuting through congested and jammed traffic - not to mention the wastage of effort hopping brick and mortar stores to find the products that we need. However, despite all this, it is not easy to find niche products through general online shops. This is particularly true if you are a parent and are looking for baby products. You can't afford the time and effort searching physical stores when your first priority is taking care of your children. And remember those parking worries for your vehicle! In such case, a niche portal for children like www.FirstCry.com comes in quite handy and convenient!

1. FirstCry is a joint venture with the well known Mahindra Group. 
2. It is a niche retailer and has a huge collection of products catering to kids of various ages. 
3. For the convenience of the customer, the portal has an app as well for both Android and Apple Operating Systems. 
4. The website sources products from reputed international and domestic merchants and makes them available to its customers. These include brands include Carter's, Mattel, Ben10, Pigeon, Funskool, Hotwheels, Nuby, Farlin, Medela, Pampers, Disney, Barbie, Gerber, Fisher Price and Mee Mee.
5. The portal offers pricing that is unique and quite reasonable. There are regular regular offers, discounts, coupon codes and card discounts on its website which makes prices quite attractive to customers. Additionally, if you are a new customer registering yourself, then you get certain special offers and coupon codes too. 
6. Further, for selective products, you get to earn loyalty cash for any purchases that you make which can be used to offset price of your future purchases. 
7. The products of the website are systematically arranged and categorised so that it is easier for customers to browse the portal. 
8. The web listings are propped up with product pictures and are fitted with a zoom feature. The listings are also detailed making it easy for the customer to make his choices. 
9. For those customers who know exactly what they are looking for, there is a Search feature to locate the products directly. 
10. One another feature of FirstCry is that you can have the products gift wrapped at the time of order placement if you wish to gift certain products to your near and dear. 
11. Unlike many of its competitors in the online and offline market, FirstCry is special since it has a presence not only in the online segment but also in the offline space. It has a network of brick and mortar stores spread across the country allowing customers a 'touch and feel' shopping. 
12. The portal offers free shipping and quick deliveries across the country though there are occasions when there are delays. 
13. As with any shopping portal, there is a tracking feature for customers to know where exactly their products are at any given point of time.
14. In case you are looking to purchase selected items at a future date, then you have the facility to bookmark or wish list your choices. 
15. Shopping online on its website is also a seamless experience. It facilitates multiple payment options to suit different classes of customers like Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Net Banking, Cash on Delivery (COD), PayTM, Wallet, PayPal and UPI. EMI facility is also provided. Further, it supports multiple type of cards like Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, Diners Club and RuPay.
16. For any online portal to be credible, it needs to be secure. FirstCry is just that - it is equipped with high levels of security to safeguard customer data and payment information. 
17. FirstCry also has a FirstCry blog and 'FirstCry Parenting' guide wherein there is a wealth of information for parents to care better for their children. 
18. Even with the best of online shopping portals, there are times when there are issues with the products. That said, for those rare occasions, FirstCry has an effective return and refund policy. 
19. The portal is also equipped with prompt customer service to address any queries or complaints that customers may address to it. You can email or call the Contact Centre of FirstCry so that your issues can be effectively addressed. 
20. The website also has a good presence on Social Media like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Google+ which can also be used as channels for customers to raise their queries or complaints. You can also prefer to look at their FAQs section which could potentially resolve most of your queries. 
21. Given that FirstCry is a marketplace, it provides opportunities to entrepreneurs to enroll on their platform or opt for becoming their franchisee.

From our own personal experience, the FirstCry portal is an excellent marketplace for baby care products. We have made purchases on it for our personal requirements and they have essentially turned out well. The pricing complemented by the discounts has been quite competitive vis-a-vis both online and offline competitors. It has an effective return and refund policy when customers are not happy with the products.

However, it must be noted that there are times when the prices of the products are falsely printed at higher cost and then a discount is offered thus misleading the customer to think he is getting a great deal (when that is not the case)! Once in our experience, we purchased a school bag from FirstCry around Rs.900/- post discounts which appeared to look considerable. Strangely, when we received it, we found a DMart label on it wherein the MRP was below Rs.700/-. This indicates lack of scruples in inflating prices, misrepresenting information and then misleading the customer. That is not a good approach to follow.

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits/reviews

Pepperfry, Niche Furniture eTailer - First Mover Advantage!

Pepperfry, Niche Furniture eTailer - First Mover Advantage!

Tags: Internet Website Portals Platform Amazon FlipKart Pepperfry Online Offline Etailers Advertise Market Shopping Curated Products Brands Purchases Orders Free Fast Shipping Transport Tracking Rental Consultations Modular Solutions Kitchens Wardrobes Customised Studios Installation Services Home Needs Decor Furniture Electrical Goods Hardware Art Clocks Vases Planters Collectibles Candles Lights Fragrances Lamps Lighting Bed Sheets Blankets Quilts Table Linen Cushions Pillows Towels Curtains Carpets Mattresses Cookware Cookers Chimneys Blenders Beverage Sandwich Snack Makers Juicers Choppers Slicers Dish Washers Refrigerators Mixer Grinders Ovens Gas Stoves Water Purifiers Geysers Rates Prices Cost Amounts Coupons Discounts Offers Budgets Payments Debit Credit Gift Cards Net Banking Wallet Paypal EMI COD Secured Information Customers Experience Quality Positive Negative Feedback Responses Defective Problem Complaints Return Replacement Refund Policy Escalation Selling Merchants Program

The online segment is heating up these days with a variety of products aimed at customers. You name it and and you find it offered online on one of the many shopping websites. In this area, the furniture market is gaining prominence. It is now peppered with many furniture etailers. While there are many online portals dealing with furniture like Amazon and FlipKart, yet they are not niche players. That is where niche players are carving out a place for themselves. Pepperfry is one of the topmost brands now that has established itself as a niche furniture etailer! If you are looking for anything in furniture and home decor, then you will definitely find it on www.pepperfry.com. The etailer was one of the earliest startups in the furniture ecosystem that went into online portals.

Here is a look at what makes Pepperfry special in the niche online furniture segment.

1. Well defined website with user friendly interface. Images optimised and loads fast on a range of devices and varying internet speeds without any drag.
2. The portal has categorised its products systematically making it easy for customers to choose from a range of products.
3. It has clear presence in social media viz., Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and Google+. The advantages of social media presence is that customers can bookmark their selections easily for later reference. Further, if you wish to provide positive or negative feedback, that becomes easier and faster as responses are also quicker.
4. For those who are comfortable using mobile devices, Pepperfry app is available for Android and Apple Operating Systems.
5. Quite a few of us are used to do window shopping and deferring our actual purchases to a later point of time. In such cases, the website has a user friendly feature to bookmark your choices or Wish List them in your online Pepperfry account. 
6. The website offers well known domestic and international brands on its platform at competitive rates that are not so easily available elsewhere.
7. While Pepperfry's core product line is furniture, yet it also deals with many other products other than furniture from a home needs perspective such as wall art, wall hangings, clocks, vases, pots, planters, collectibles, candles, tea lights, fragrances, lamps, lighting, bed sheets, blankets, quilts, table linen, cushions, pillows, towels, curtains, carpets, mattresses, cookware, cookers, chimneys, blenders, beverage makers, sandwich makers, snack makers, juicers, choppers, slicers, dish washers, refrigerators, mixer grinders, ovens, gas stoves, water purifiers, geysers, hardware and other electrical goods. The list is rather long but suffice it to say that you will find almost all of your home needs requirements here on Pepperfry.
8. In large number of cases, Pepperfry also takes care of your installation needs for any of your orders purchased through it though this feature is limited to only few cities and is not universally available. In locations where installation services are unavailable, customers will need to make their own arrangements.
9. Additionally, the portal also offers consultations for modular solutions for your home such as modular kitchens and modular wardrobes. Through this feature, you can get customised modular furniture for your home. Again, the only flipside is that it is available only in few cities.
10. Understandably, many of us still hesitate to purchase directly through online portals especially if the order value is high. While penetration of online shopping is on the increase, yet it still has a long way to go. For such kind of people, Pepperfry has the options of brick and mortar Pepperfry Studios that are located in key cities wherein customers can check their needs in person through touch and feel and make their purchases. Unfortunately, this is a feature limited to few select cities. For the rest of us, we still have to purchase online directly through Pepperfry or its peers or go to a brick and mortars store if we are not prepared to do so.

Pepperfry, Niche Furniture eTailer - First Mover Advantage!

11. Customers can avail of free shipping where their order value is a minimum of Rs.999/-.
12. One key differentiator between Pepperfry and its competitors is that it offers faster shipping.
13. There are also tracking features available for your shipped orders so that you are apprised of its movement.
14. The latest trend is to opt for rental furniture. This is gaining traction these days as it is targeted at people with high mobility who move frequently between cities on account of their work schedules and therefore, do not wish to purchase furniture as it will be a hassle to keep spending on their transport. For such groups, Pepperfry offers furniture rentals on selected goods. However, this feature unfortunately is limited to some cities only.
15. Offers range of discounts through the year and on special events suiting the budgets of different groups of people. In fact, there are deeper discounts if you are new customer registering for your account first time. You are issued coupons with limited time frame that you can apply on your selected products and avail discounted prices.
16. Multiple payments options are available for customers such as Debit Cards, Credit Cards, Net Banking, Pepperfry Gift Cards, Wallet, Paypal and EMI. A variety of Credit & Debit Cards are supported including International Cards. COD is available on orders basis certain parameters. The portal offers No Cost EMI as well. All the payments are secured so that there is no leakage of confidential information.
17. From a customer service perspective, customers can reach out to agents through eMail, Chat, Phone or social media. Sadly, call-in number is not toll-free and customers will be charged on their calls by their respective telecom provider. There is also no direct email address that you can address your complaints - instead, you would need to fill-in a web form. Apart from this, it has a comprehensive FAQs section on its website that customers will find very helpful.
18. The portal has a clear escalation matrix defined for customer complaints. In case there are any issues, customers can opt either for replacement or refund of the product to their original source of payment. 
19. If you interested in selling your products on the platform, then there is a merchants program on Pepperfry that facilitates and promotes merchants on its portal.

We have not yet made purchases of substantial amounts on the portal. However, we did have a smooth experience with the few purchases we made till date. The feedback we have received from family, friends and acquaintances has also been essentially positive. However, do remember that their return and refund policy on large value orders may sometimes get tricky. So please be cautious that your choices are well made. Further, a good number of features like Furniture Installation, Pepperfry Studios, Furniture Rentals and Modular Consults are limited to few cities only. So if you are not in those cities, then it is going to be a flipside for you.

Sometimes, we have heard that they are not very open to negative feedback. For example, it has been noted on internet that their products are not thoroughly curated in which cases what you receive may not be as it was advertised or may be defective or not qualitative. This becomes a serious issue when the orders are of large value. When some customers reverted to them, they were surprised that their feedback was not well received and their accounts were blocked. Also, be it noted that the price that is displayed on their website including coupon discounts does not include shipping cost (if any) and taxes. You get to know the final price only when you are completing the payment.

That said, every portal has its pros and cons. The trick is to be fully aware and make cautious choices that suit your requirements. From our perspective, Pepperfry has worked out for us as it has one of the most comprehensive product ranges in the online or offline market. Moreover, sometimes, if the order value is less and you have a problem, they are generous and they just refund the amount without even bothering to pick up the product. This is a rarity and we have not seen this with any other online shopping portal.

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits/reviews

Fantastic & Fun Google Doodles

Tags: Fantastic Google Design Drawing Scribble Scribbling Doodles Doodling Commemoration Event Website Dictionary Meaning Notebooks Interest Daydreaming Cartoon Teachers Classmates Fiction Comics Landscapes Models Geometric Shapes Patterns Textures Pen Pencil Paper Board Phone Dawdle Memory Cognitive Psychology Brain Logo Holidays Anniversaries Artists Pioneers Scientists Larry Sergey Illustrators Engineers Innovation Ideas

Have you heard of the word 'doodles'? Perhaps, you have without actually knowing or understanding what it means. The word 'doodle' has a nice sound to it. It is most often now associated with Google for its numerous 'doodles' that it designs and publishes on almost a daily basis to commemorate some event or the other on its website.

240th Birthday of Richard Trevithick

The dictionary meaning of 'doodle' as noun actually means 'a rough drawing made absent-mindedly while a person's attention is otherwise preoccupied'. From a verb perspective, it simply means to scribble absent-mindedly. Many a time, doodles are not those just composed of abstract and random lines or scribbles. In fact, such simple drawings can have concrete representational meaning.

Jules Verne's 183rd Birthday

It might surprise us to know that as children, all of us were actually involved in both scribbling and doodling. We have gone through that phase. Examples include doodling in our class notebooks, mostly in the margins, while we lost interest or were daydreaming. Remember those days of nostalgia when we did cartoon versions of our teachers, friends or classmates in school? How many times did we not draw famous fictional characters from comics or landscapes or our role models? The easiest doodles are those we drew of geometric shapes, patterns or textures. Even today, quite a few of us doodle with a pen or pencil on paper or board while doing some other task like talking on phone or thinking through an activity. Interestingly, doodling can be out of boredom or more often than not, because we are having fun.

50th Anniversary of the First Man in Space

Interestingly, the etymology of the word 'doodle' indicates that it originally appeared in the 17th century. It was used then to mean a fool or simpleton. It is also perhaps closely associated with the word 'dawdle' which we all know carries the meaning of being lazy or wasting time. This version appears to be more likely considering that doodles are usually drawn when one is preoccupied or bored or intending to have fun. Despite doodling meaning what it may mean, it does serve a positive function on our memory. According to a study published in the scientific journal Applied Cognitive Psychology, doodling can aid a person's memory by expending just enough energy to keep one from daydreaming, which demands a lot of the brain's processing power, as well as from not paying attention. Thus, it acts as a mediator between the spectrum of thinking too much or thinking too little and helps focus on the current situation. The study was done by Professor Jackie Andrade, of the School of Psychology at the University of Plymouth.

Agatha Christie's 120th Birthday

However, this innocuous word has been transformed in recent times with Google's association. Google has specialised in doodling when its first few doodles to commemorate certain events were received quite well by users. As per Google's own About Page on its doodles, doodles are the fun, surprising and sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries and the lives of famous artists, pioneers and scientists. The concept of the Google doodle was born in 1998 when Google founders Larry and Sergey played with the corporate logo to indicate their attendance at the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert. They placed a stick figure drawing behind the 2nd "o" in the word, Google, and the revised logo was intended as a comical message to Google users that the founders were "out of office". While the first doodle was relatively simple, the idea of decorating the company logo to celebrate notable events was born.

First Day of School

Later, in 2000, a doodle was produced to commemorate Bastille Day. It was so well received by users. Thereon, doodles started showing up more and more regularly on the Google homepage initially celebrating familiar holidays. Today, they highlight a wide array of events and anniversaries globally. Consequently, the demand for doodles is at its peak. Google now has a team of talented illustrators and engineers - or popularly known as doodlers. It is the responsibility of these doodlers to make the Google home page lively, exciting and fun for Google users around the world. Till date, these doodlers have created over 2,000 doodles for Google homepages globally.

Amelia Earhart's 115th Birthday

For identifying the events or milestones for Google's doodles, a process of brainstorming is applied. The ideas come from multiple sources and include Googlers and Google's users. The purpose of these doodles is to celebrate interesting events and notable anniversaries that reflect Google's personality and love of innovation. Google users and public can also participate in ideas, design and events for Google's doodles. Google has setup an email address proposals@google.com where the public can send their contributions and requests.

And oh yes! Lest we forget, Google Doodles are not just about being colourful or fun! Importantly, they are all about information. Each doodle marks a significant moment of history.

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits/reviews

Urban Ladder - Shop Furniture Online!

Urban Ladder - Shop Furniture Online

Tags: Urban Ladder Furniture Online Shopping Furniture Furnishings Decor Interiors Kitchen Dining Sofas Chairs Tables Storage Balcony Outdoor Bags Beds Bedroom Mattresses Bar Crockery Cabinets Stools Benches Shelves Racks Units Showcases Cupboards Drawers Chests Dressers Mirrors Computer Laptop Study Office Home Lamps Carpets Rugs Quilts Dohars Blankets Bed Sheets Cushion Covers Pads Curtains Lights Technology Innovation Portals Discounts Offers Sakes Referrals Price

In recent times, online shopping has taken India by storm for a variety of products. This phenomenon has also spread to furniture, furnishings and interior decor. In the past, if customers wanted to buy a piece of furniture, it was a tedious journey physically visiting shop to shop, inspecting furniture, looking for the right item, negotiating prices and then finally getting your vaunted purchases home. More often than not, a lot of time and effort was wasted in the process, not to mention the amount of money spent on your choices. Remember - it is never easy to compare products on a shop to shop basis and arriving at a fair price.

Fortunately, with technology and innovation, that has now changed with the advent of online furniture shopping portals like Urban Ladder!

Website: www.urbanladder.com

Of course, Urban Ladder is not the first enterprise to venture into this space. However, though somewhat a late entrant, Urban Ladder has still made up for it through its USPs. Consider the following -

1. The first impression that you get when you visit the Urban Ladder website is a well designed, clean and pleasant look. The site is quite user friendly and the products are categorised neatly.
2. Urban Ladder is a niche player and a specialist in the furniture segment. 
3. It does not flood you with umpteen choices - sometimes, that could suffocate us and make it quite difficult to zero in on a final selection - but at the same time, it does give you reasonable number of choices to make you feel comfortable in making satisfying decisions. 
4. The products are priced reasonably and transperantly with periodic discount offers through the year, especially December year-end sales. There are also debit / credit card discount offers and Amazon Pay discounts (10% off, maximum Rs.500) available to customers from time to time.
5. The portal keeps its range reasonably broad based but tight which also fit your requirements. As of now, it does not offer "everything under the sun" for your home needs but suffice it to say that you would be happy with the range available and not disappointed.
6. The fact that it keeps its range reasonably tight is a plus because it maintains higher quality control through curation of products. Its products are well curated - and when we say curated, we speak from personal experience - they really are 'curated'!
7. In case you are not satisfied with the product, there are easy returns available and refunds as well, subject to T & C. 
8. The listings on the website are quite detailed with explicit images from various aspects and include measurements of the products too. They cover product features, properties, material used, care & safety instructions, warranty, returns and quality promise. If you still have questions, all you need is to connect with them through any of your preferred modes of communication or simply post a question.
9. The website is equipped with a Products Compare facility for customer selected products.
10. Urban Ladder also offers consultancy services for Interior Designing of your home at reasonable prices.
11. For those customers who need variety of payment options, Urban Ladder offers Cash on Delivery (COD), Card on Delivery, Amazon Pay, UPI, Net Banking, Debit Card and Credit Card Payments, to name a few. It has EMI facilities as well. And if you still need time or are planning for a future occasion, then you have the option to save it to your Wish List.
12. The best part is that Urban Ladder not only services premier metros but also has presence in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. It has a clear vision to expand further and further in to such cities and towns. This is good for customers who often wish to buy from premier furniture portals but may not have delivery facilities to their location. Further, Urban Ladder focusses on not just delivery facilities but also brick and mortar offices in specified locations. And yes, its delivery facilities are free of cost. Customers are notified date of delivery and the products have tracking facility. 
13. For customers interested in gifting, the portal also offers Gift Cards. If the gift card ordered is => Rs.10,000/-, then customers also get Rs.2,000/- extra vouchers. The gift cards have no expiry date and can be purchased for denominations starting as low as Rs.1,000/- either in electronic or physical version. They can be customised for all kinds of occasions and events. 
14. Urban Ladder also has an attractive referral policy wherein existing customers can refer their friends, relatives and acquaintances with a designated voucher code and capping limit of 10 referrals per account. When their referral uses the code, they get 10% off and the customer who referred them gets Rs.2,000/- off on each referral. This has been quite useful for our requirements.
15. The online venture has physical presence too in select locations through 'Experience Stores'. These are brick and mortar stores that customers can personally visit and select their products while getting a feel on how they look and fit in homes.
16. The best part is that their delivery staff are quite well trained and skilled. They are courteous and polite. They provide all information (including warranty, returns and refunds), you may need when they deliver and install the products in your homes.
17. Their contact centre staff are equally competent and they have multiple modes of communication namely email, chat and telephones. The portal is setup with variety of social media accounts as well.
18. While they do have policies and procedures that they need to adhere to, yet they are flexible in case you have any genuine query, requirement or problem. This is often missing in online portals. Moreover, the conversations are not scripted / templated and are usually engaging.
19. Urban Ladder products are compact and can be easily assembled / dismantled as may be required. This is particularly useful for customers who are mobile and move locations periodically.
20. Mobile friendly customers can download the Urban Ladder app available both on Google Play Store and Apple Store.

We have bought several products from Urban Ladder but have not had cause or reason to regret it anytime. Of course, occasionally, there were few disappointments or issues with products, as can happen in the best of times. These were handled promptly by the staff that ensured the grievances were resolved on the positive side.

If you are considering any purchase of furniture, suggest you take a good look at the site for your requirements. My referral code is YOUxME_Ashritha_9EP3A6. You may use it to get 10% off on any of your selection.

That said, let us know of your thoughts and please do leave comments on your experiences.

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits

Babylon, Information at a Click!

Babylon Software - Information at a Click!

Tags: Babylon Software Tool Dictionary Thesaurus Encyclopedia Glossaries Translator Converter Appliance Gadget Technology Innovation Shopping Website Language Search OCR Engine Information Internet Mouse Writing Reading Research MS Office Internet Explorer Application Online Offline Connection Status System Subscribe Download Text-to-Speech TTS History Converter Calculator Price Operating Systems Database

Introduction
A friend once jokingly remarked to me that a writer is a combination of several factors like imagination, ingenuity & creativity, incisiveness, sharp wit, & a sense of humour, knowledge & wisdom, and a subtlety of purpose! And his primary tools, among others, are the Muse, quiet environs, a dictionary and a thesaurus.

We cannot do much about the Muse! He comes and goes as he pleases ;-) But, the dictionary and the thesaurus? Yes!

Often, we struggle with the flow of thoughts when writing because we do not get the right word, phrase, quotation, etcetera. The use of a dictionary and thesaurus helps, but only so so! The manual/physical dictionary and thesaurus is really very clumsy |:-( Software wise, we use the basic features available in MS Word. But these are just that, very basic! Further, on proper nouns, they draw a blank! So what do we do? Jump onto a search engine? But the mining of relevant information on the net is really, really tedious and sooooo time consuming!

This is where Babylon comes in!

Website: www.babylon-software.com

Babylon tool / software provides quick information at a click! Its information covers a multitude of topics. And all this, at the simple click of the mouse!

1. Integration: A powerful information tool that combines the best of a dictionary, a thesaurus, and an encyclopaedia. It is a favourite and can be used both at home and work!
2. Dream Tool: A Dream Tool! No doubt about it! Must for writers, and others too. Allows writers to do away with all those bulky references.
3. Glossaries: It has a huge database of over 1,600 dictionaries & glossaries on its home site, and is still being updated and growing!
4. Interface: Sports an absolutely attractive, comfortable, convenient, and entirely user-friendly interface.
5. Activation Keys: To run the tool, press the activation keys. This, the tool asks you to do when you are installing it for the first time. I normally use CTRL+ALT, as this combination does not interfere with any other software.
6. Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopaedia, & Translator: It not only provides instantly, relevant information, but also multi-lingual translations for any word or value you type in or click on. For example, you come across a word on MS, ’’nada’’, and you want to know what it means. No problemo! Just activate Babylon by clicking on the word ’’nada’’. And prompto! You learn that ’’nada’’ is Italian for ’’nothing’’. If you want to know the meaning of a result that Babylon has thrown-up, just click on it! Cross Application Support: The tool can recognise words from several applications like MS Office and Internet Explorer.
7. Sensitive OCR Engine: It has a sensitive OCR engine that can read Words off images, or scanned text! It enables users to click on any word, phrase or number in any Windows application and immediately receive a translation or description!
8. Online / Offline Usage: Can be used offline or online. You can switch between online and offline modes by clicking on the revolving Babylon icon at the top left corner of the result window. This icon also displays the connection status i.e., Online or Offline. Offline functioning works well, but is limited to the number of glossaries downloaded to local system. Once glossaries are downloaded, there won’t be a need to connect to the net anymore, except occasionally when you want to pick-up new or additional glossaries. Online functioning is the best. Babylon can connect to its home site and other websites, to extract the maximum information you require.
9. Subscribe / Download Glossaries: Glossaries can either be subscribed to or downloaded to the local system by clicking on the + button to the right of a result, and selecting one of the options, viz., ’’Subscribe’’ or ’’Download’’. Subscription will not download the glossary, but will connect to it online whenever the need arises. The other option ’’Download’’ is self-explanatory.
10. Copy / Paste: Just right-click the target and the word is copied to the clipboard.
11. Save Results: Results can be saved into Babylon itself or locally into your system.
12. TTS engine: Speaks pronunciations typed in. A menu of voices provided. The speed of the voice can be customised.
13. History: The tool is equipped with a history feature to navigate to the previous words or previous conversions.
14. Converter & Calculator: Can convert any value to the value of our choice. Conversions cover currencies, measurements, time and their sub-units. It can also distinguish between a word and a value, and automatically invokes the converter feature, when the target is a value. History feature is available. Additionally, it can invoke calculator from Windows.
15. Miscellaneous: The tool has a resizable window, and several options to configure how you want it to behave. A pane in the tool displays a list of the selected glossaries with check boxes, allowing them to be either selected or deselected or even deleted. If you do not want the tool to run temporarily, you can disable it, and enable it later when you need it, or completely exit it. 
16. Priced / Trial Versions: You can either buy Babylon (details on web site) or simply download the trial version (30 days). If you would like to understand how useful the tool is, then best to start with a trial version and then decide whether you want to keep it permanently for your requirements.
17. Operating Systems: Supports multiple operating systems across the board.

For complete details, on how the tool works and its ease of usage, please read the Help file of Babylon.

All said and done, you will have to experiment with this tool yourself to understand its real utility.

Pros:-
+ Trendy and User-friendly interface
+ Can be used across most applications
+ Works Online or Offline
+ Huge Database of Glossaries; re Babylon site
+ Sensitive OCR Engine that can read Words or numbers off images, or scanned text
+ Powerful Information Tool integrating Dictionary, Thesaurus, & Encyclopaedia
+ Multi-lingual Translator
+ Converter
+ Save Results feature
+ History feature; can navigate to Previous Searches
+ Speaks Pronunciations; TTS Engine; Choice from several voices; Newer ones can be downloaded
+ Works on multiple Operating Systems

Cons:-
- None significant.

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits

CRY and Care

CRY - Child Rights & You!

Tags: CRY Charity Community Donation Indian Children Rights Online Website Children Discrimination Contribution Volunteering Information eCards Download Wallpapers Screensavers Pledge eMails Diaries Desktop Calendars Telephone Address Books Puzzles Toys Games Online Offline Sponsoring Health Education

Welcome to the grim world of the deprived Indian child! The future almost always seems to look bleak for them, and never ever rosy!

We are so fortunate that sometimes we forget that there are so many others who are... how shall I put it - misérable! Among them, the Indian child stands out! Yes, the torch-bearers and the future citizens of India, and none other! Fact is, the word ’’misérable’’ does not even begin to describe their plight! We do not like to be reminded about these things, but the realities of life are always around the corner! The high and mighty keep promising the world, and delivering nothing...

This is where CRY comes in! CRY and Care!

Website: www.cry.org

CRY is actually an acronym for Child Rights and You. The acronym seems to carry (unfortunately), a twisted meaning to it, albeit a sad one - that of the generally deprived Indian child! It focusses on improving the plight of Indian children primarily! Non-Indians may ask - what is this? Discrimination? Why only Indian children? Don’t all children deserve a better life? You would be absolutely right in asking that question! Yes, all children deserve a better life! It is just that there must be a starting point to begin from, and the Indian child would be the appropriate community to start with! After all, do we not have shameful statistics on our side? Most of the deprived children live in India! Further, though CRY began in 1979, it still is not such a huge organisation (or any way near), to be able to cater to the world!

Most Indian children are deprived to the point of not even having their basic needs taken care of viz., food, clothing, and shelter! Yes, the ones that we take so much for granted that we rarely have space in our thoughts for them! And that includes me too!

Truth is, it is not really our fault!

We live insulated lives, and insulation can only shut us off from harsh reality! Needless to say, insulation can occur in the most simplest ways to the most complex! Take a regular employee who works 6 days a week (sometimes, even 7 days too), from 9 AM - 6 PM. Where does he have the time to look around and see the less fortunate communities! Or take a wealthy person, a politician, or a person who is residing in a posh locality in an advanced country - his environment does not even permit him to see these things! And the jaunts that we hang out in, or the leisure spots that we take a stroll in? Fact is, we are so caught up in our lives that we don’t have time to spare for these things!

Nope Guys! It is not really our fault!

In fact, most of us have the essential goodness in us, and would like opportunities to help! It is just that though we do care (perhaps, in a passive way), we do not really know how to help!

It is here that CRY takes a different approach from other charitable organisations! It brings out the passive element in us, and shows each of us a way to contribute to make a better life for the deprived Indian children! Most charitable organisations seek cash donations or the equivalent, whereas CRY provides alternative models for providing help to the Indian child (cry.org). In fact, the CRY website is is a beautiful site with an even more beautiful and noble purpose! It is well designed to the point of simplicity! The site design, the images, and the messages on the site reflect a happy child! A happy child who has been provided a better life through individuals like you and me!

Partnering with CRY is a pleasure ’coz it actually allows and provides a way for every individual in society to contribute, and not always through cash donations. Just take a look at the various modes of help that an individual or corporate can provide meaning to the under-privileged Indian child - by volunteering time, skills or materials, spreading awareness about CRY and its goals, by disseminating information about CRY (like sending free CRY eCards, downloading free CRY wallpapers and screensavers and passing them on, adding a signature pledge of CRY to our eMails), buying CRY Cards or CRY products from shops (like diaries, desktop calendars, telephone and address books, puzzles, wooden toys, educational games, household linen, candle stands, frames, and jewellery), cash donations either online or offline (the most obvious!), and sponsoring children's’ health and education.

Simplistically put, CRY makes use of everything, your money, time, skills, materials or even your moral support to whatever extent is possible. And all for a noble purpose. This is one site that is worth visiting and contributing too! It brings out the ’’human’’ in us!

I mean, if non-Indians can care for Indian children (think Steven Waugh), can we not take care of our own? May be not through cash donations always, but definitely through the other options!

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits