WARNING: You will never believe what furnitures online (Pepperfry) actually cost!
The following post is not for the faint-hearted or online furniture buyers. You will probably never guess what the furniture and home décor items on leading websites like Pepperfry actually cost.
So, the age old question! Buying in a physical store VS purchasing via online retailers like pepperfry? That is a topic for another day as I quickly want to compare the prices of 3 products I wanted to buy from pepperfry and I was able to compare them to the prices of the same products from stores around me.
Product 1: Rocking Chair
I was walking around my home in Triplicane when I found rocking chairs on the platform. I went in and asked the store keeper the price of the rocking chair and he quoted it to me at Rs. 6500. Immediately, I whipped out my smartphone and checked out the price of rocking chairs in Pepperfry. I was shocked to find the SAME model of the rocking chair for an OFFER price of Rs. 21,199. It was marked down from a retail price of Rs. 36,699 to the usual price at Pepperfry -Rs. 28,266. And, finally, it was on 25% GST sale marked down finally to Rs. 21,199! So much hype around discounts!
# Take Away
The sellers on Pepperfry pay a commission of up to 40% on various furniture categories. These local stores have connections with the manufacturers at Uttar Pradesh who are able to bring it down to Chennai at a much cheaper price than pepperfry!
P.S: Watch out for these rocking chairs outside small furniture shops on the platform!
Product 2 # Rocking Chair
Now, let us compare the price of pepperfry (online retailer) Vs Living Trendz (local e-retailer in Chennai).
The price of a similar rocking chair in solid Sheesham wood in Pepperfry starts from Rs. 10,400 whereas the price of a similar rocking chair in Living Trendz is Rs. 6405 only.
# Take Away
If the store has both an online and offline presence, it is really better since it saves you the hassle of furniture discovery and helps you take a decision whether you really want to visit the store or not.
P.S: Historically, after sales service is about 76% better at Omni-channel stores (stores that have an online and offline presence), since there is a physical connection with the store, as well as the fact that the stores want to create a loyal customer base. They could even throw you a discount based on the store targets they have!
Product 3# Bottleware
My wife likes fancy bottleware to make our dining tables look attractive. I come from a normal middle-class family where my wife decides what to buy for the home. She found the glass bottle ware in Pepperfry for Rs. 1200 (set of 2) and instantly recognized that Parry’s corner stores offered the same for a cheaper price. We got it for Rs. 120 the next time we visited Parry’s!
# Take Away
Women like my wife are always on the lookout for the best product they like for the best prices. You can also take a look at a lot of FB pages like Chennai Furniture Market, Chennai Parry’s Corner Shopping etc. for products you may like.
P.S: The biggest advantage of an online retailer is the convenience with which you can browse about 100+ products in a single category and compare the prices with other online retailers. But I was not able to discover and compare products from the retail stores around me.
What I finally did?
So, I decided to create a web store for the furniture stores in Chennai: Furniture Magik to showcase their products and bring to your notice their discounts & clearance deals, by which you and I can benefit! Furnitures are usually occasional purchases and you would be definitely happy if you could stop running around stores to find the best products at the best prices.
I have been furniture hunting for a while now. If you want to know the best deals on the best furniture products happening in Chennai, Subscribe to my blog, and I promise to send you the best deals on furniture around you, twice a week!
