Web portals play cupid on Valentine's Day

INTERNET Ease of shopping and customised gift options are driving online sales.

Shopping for Valentine's day just got easier for people like Vivek Malik, a busy 24-year-old investment banker. He can now buy gifts online through shopping portals that are offering lucrative options to busy executives and cash in on the V-Day fever.

"I am stuck in the office for most part of the day with no time to go out and shop for my girlfriend. Besides, I confess I'm not keen on going from shop to shop," says Malik.

For thousands of shoppers like Malik, shopping websites like eBay, Rediff Shopping and even travel portals like MakeMyTrip.com have ready solutions.

"I spent half an hour on the Net this year and I not only bought a gift online but could also have flowers and chocolates delivered to her," beams Malik.

eBay India, for instance, has many online bid options starting at Re 1 where you can surprise your loved one with an air trip or a diamond.

If that sounds way over your budget, you can also send personalised presents "" a customised T or a silver pendant with the name of your beloved engraved on it or even an attractive coffee mug with your Valentine's star sign on it.

"Valentine's Day is an established gifting occasion in India today and for many working people, shopping online especially for unique products allows them the opportunity to make the occasion special for their loved one," says Ambareesh Murty, director, Marketing & Operations, eBay India.

Rediff Shopping, a prominent e-commerce portal launched its Valentine's Day Store called 'Valentine Moments'. It is offering a unique opportunity where customers could buy and send flowers to their favourite stars like Ayesha Takia, Mandira Bedi, Sagarika Ghatge, Shreyas Talpade, Neha Dhupia and Arshad Warsi, among others.

They could also choose from a range of gift options including exquisite flowers, chocolates, cakes, soft toys and diamond jewellery for Rs 999 only.

The younger shoppers who may be spending out of their pocket allowance, Rediff makes payment options available "" from EMIs to credit and debit cards and cash on delivery as well. Shopping websites are not the only ones tapping into the V-Day market. For the high spenders, MakeMyTrip.com offers the perfect gift.

Elaborating on the promotions, ProviKeyur Joshi, COO and Co-Founder, MakeMyTrip.com says: "We design our packages to suit specific needs of travellers. In case of the period around Valentine's Day, for example, we create day-long or two-day packages at destinations near city centres. We tie-up with our hospitality partners to include special gestures like room service, complimentary flowers and champagne . "

And if shopping on the Net to express your love is not your cup of tea, how about making some money online? Contest2win.com has launched a search for CoupleNo1.com, where users are required to upload their pictures and participate in an online contest where they stand to win prizes of up to Rs 15, 000. In short, if you are at sea on what to buy and where to buy your gift from, let the Internet play cupid this year.