#8 Challenges a Jewellery e-commerce Startup Faces Jewellery accessories are the most searchable products on e-commerce platforms
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Being entrepreneur is easy, but sustaining that is difficult. You need to have a very deep understanding of the human nature. You should be open to change. I personally believe that being pro-active rather than reactive to such demands is the key to long-term success. Running any business on e-commerce platform is a big challenge as digital space is full of competitors and ideas. Jewellery, accessories are the most searchable products on e-commerce platforms and being founder of the same business is not an easy way. The top 5 challenges any fashion jewellery/accessory startup faces are:
1. Gaining trust amongst people
One of the most difficult and the steepest climb one can have in the ecommerce world is developing trust. The element of trust just doesn't settle in people's mind by some photographs or some social media posts. It takes a lot of efforts & a lot of time. Achieving this will never be an overnight success.
2. Battling Defrauding Customers
I particularly remember a customer ordering the most expensive pieces we have in various categories. We were really happy. But then she wanted to return claiming that the products got damaged in transit. We were sure that it cannot be the case because we had taken extra care in shipping her products. We double bubble wrapped the boxes and also bubble wrapped the jewellery inside them. But the according to our policy, we accepted the returns. The product she had returned was the jewellery which she had earlier worn and wasn't going to use them any further.
3. Timely Delivery
I think one of the main reasons Indian Ecommerce is so behind in growth rate is because of the delivery time. We are promised 3-day delivery but the packet reaches customer on 6th day. By that time either the event for which the jewellery was ordered is over or the excitement to receive the new jewellery get's over, hence resulting in returns or cancellation of orders.
4. Getting People to Pay Online
Even after demonetization and all the rigorous advertising by the government to make payments using cards people still use cash on delivery as an option to buy products online. A prepaid parcel is one of the most exciting things for any ecommerce players as it reduces the logistics cost nearly to half of COD orders.
5. Putting Competitive Pricing Among High Commission Percentages
Selling through marketplaces like Flipkart & Amazon leaves sellers with either minimal or no profit. The marketplace commission goes up as high as 40% hence maintaining competitive prices amongst such high commission percentages become very difficult.
6. Tension of Designs Getting Copied
It's not easy to just build a platform that connects direct you with customers. There are tasks like designs getting copied and labelling the existing jewellery products as their own etc.
7. Customization Issues
Many customers while buying send us message for customizing the product they are about to buy which is a difficult task to do. Approx. 2% of customer sale drop outs because of that.
8. Hit the Target Audience
Try to be selective while selling of products on your website. If you are selling jewellery, then try creating a USP of your brand for e.g. best Traditional Jewellery, Indo-Western Jewellery, funky jewellery so that it can cater to all age groups.
