When was the last time you actually went mall-hopping to pick up office wear? And you didn’t try those clothes on but decided to order them online instead, because of some fancy discounts on offer?
E-commerce has truly emerged as a blessing for working women in India. Though it is still in its nascent stages, for thousands of women living and working in metro cities, online shopping is a cheap alternative to a full-time personal assistant that ensures we never run out of new clothes to wear, never reach a party without an appropriate gift, and never wake up to a grocery-less kitchen!
But more often than not, there are parents or friends who warn online shoppers with: “These things are delivered broken” or “The pictures are edited and it’s not the same when it is delivered” and the most alarming “They will steal your credit/debit card details and you will lose all your money”, and such like.
While cash-on-delivery has emerged as a probable solution to the last problem, the chances of working couples being at home to receive packages are so low, that online payment is the only way to shop! (Unless you are fine with getting groceries or garments delivered at your office reception.)
But is the ‘payment gateway’ really safe?
Over the past one week, there have been two major developments in the e-commerce space. One of them-- the acquisition of online fashion retailer Myntra by India’s e-commerce posterboy Flipkart -- is extremely exciting for an online consumer like me. The other one--eBay breached; passwords stolen. Change your eBay Passwords!--is extremely scary.
Just imagine, if hackers are able access all the information that you have trusted your online retailer with, how much could go wrong. (Some banks allow you to change your debit card pin by sharing “personal details” like date of birth; all the information needed for an online credit card purchase is recorded in the last transaction you made; Even otherwise, you can be tricked into parting with your email passwords and some personal details.)
I heard an argument after the eBay news came in that said: “See, such a thing would never happen if you were going the traditional way.” But the problem here is that the “traditional way” just won’t work because our lives and schedules are not traditional any more. No store will stay open for us after 10 PM, which is when many of us usually reach home. Nor can anyone make the day less sunny or less rainy to enable us to make purchases at our convenience.
So, scary though this incident might be, Indian consumers are gradually reaching a stage where they have little choice. Here’s hoping we don’t repeat the mistakes that the West made in terms of security breaches so that we can have a secure, safe and fun e-commerce experience.
