Klip.in – Makes Shopping a Social Activity…

There are plethora of Ecommerce sites in India currently, with the likes of Flipkart, Jabong, ebay & few others leading the roost. Even with many sites getting launched and this space getting crowded, I believe that Indian online market is far from saturated. In such a situation making a mark for yourself is a bit difficult, but a new Social Ecommerce platform – Klip.in aims to do that.

Look & Feel

When I opened Klip.in the first thing that caught my attention was the beta tag that hung there. It is a work in progress and as a beta Klip.in gives a good first impression. The UI is not overbearing which can not be said about some of the other shopping sites. On top is a search option (very necessary in such sites) and also the option to register both independently and via facebook. There is also the option to check out without registering. It’s not an option people at Klip.in will want (everyone wants regular users) but it’s nice to see it there. Also, there is the option to Klip (clip) an item in your personal catalogue. This is the social aspect of the site.

There are two questions that come to my mind when I see a new merchant website. First is what do they have that others don’t or why should I use it the first time?

Second, what will make me come back to it again?

These questions are very important because like an email, why would a person want a new one when the old one is working.

The Differentiator?

Klip.in differentiates itself from others by offering by making shopping very social. Not only can visitors make a purchase, but also “Klip” the Items and also rate it. The more klips an item has it automatically becomes a more craved item. (Something akin to popularity and wishlist combined in flipkart). These klips can also be grouped or bunched together to create a “Klipboard” of products. For example: the most popular klipboard currently is of – “Best Books of Decade”, which puts together bunch of most popular books.

Visitors can join these klipboard for their future references or to make purchases at later stage. Klipping is encouraged by giving points for each klipping and these can be redeemed in purchase.

The Good

The social angle is very good and as more people get involved and it gets refined, it can become a trusted source of reviews and ratings. You can check who is klipping what and make your decisions accordingly.

One might even find something that they might not have searched for but was in a group of klips they were checking out. Also, groups can be used for discussions like forums and can be very useful in making a purchase. There is a leaderboard where you can find yourself if you have enough reviews and klips under your belt.

Books are having really good discounts.

The Bad

It was not exactly unexpected but still disappointing to see the lack of variation of products in the catalogue. I searched for Xperia S and in result it showed me three options- Nokia C6-00, SE Xperia Ray and Xperia Mini pro.

Besides this as well, the catalogue needs a bit of more comprehensiveness which I think will come with time. (As the beta tag is shed). Also, the price of electronics (mobiles especially) looked steep to me than other sites.

I guess as the time passes, these aspects should definitely improve!

The Weird

It had little discount on electronics and yet each price was crossed to repeat the same in the bottom line. It was not pleasant as UI is concerned and hopefully will be removed soon. If there is no discount there is no need for uglying the interface…

In the end, the question comes, why would I want to use to in lieu of the plethora of options available?

Well, the concept of klip is good and “klipping” is something that will help people explore new products that they might have missed otherwise. For it to work though they need users who will come if the product they want is available at a cheaper or equivalent price.

Klip.in has the potential but can they actually harness it; that is something to be seen.

The post Klip.in – Makes Shopping a Social Activity… [Review] appeared first on India Business & Technology Hub.