HOMESHOP18, a 24-hour shopping channel, is now promising to give online shopping a run for their money with branded products, discounted prices and a wide distribution network.
Home shopping is the new buzzword on television. A 24-hour channel on shopping, HomeShop18 from the Network 18 Group has caught the attention of viewers. So much so that it is threatening to eat into the sales of online shopping. And it’s only seven months since the channel has launched. “Internationally, this shopping model is very popular, which is why we thought of launching this channel in India,” says Sandeep Malhotra, CEO, HomeShop18.
However, the word tele-shopping in India conjures up images of some foreigners selling slim sauna belts, instant weight-reducing machines and our TV celebrities marketing products like lucky gem stones, vegetable cutters and steam irons. Nobody takes them seriously.
“Exactly,” says Malhotra who has the dubious task of erasing this perception.
“Indian audiences have lost trust and credibility in the products sold on TV, which is why we sell only branded goods, which have a guarantee,” he affirms.
From Philips to Sony to Tanishq, HomeShop has around 250 brands in 20 categories and 15,000 products, which are sold at a discounted price.
“It’s not really a discount, it’s just that we sell directly to the customer eliminating the chain of distributor to retailer. We sell it at the actual price, which is lesser than the market price.” Doesn’t that affect the manufacturers’ margins, which would be higher in the normal distribution chain? “Sometimes it does, at times it doesn’t, but the fact is, we provide a unique alternative distribution platform with a network across 2,000 cities which is bigger than any FMCG company,” says Malhotra.
To win over the trust of the viewers, the channel employs people who are in the know-how of the product, to talk about it. Celebrities are used sparingly or not at all. “Our aim is to convert the viewer into a customer for which the product is the star,” smiles Malhotra. However, the channel does have special shows built around the product or the theme. A travel show for selling travel packages, a gadgets’ bazaar, a morning bazaar, a kids’ special etc. to name a few Of course, there’s Sanjeev Kapoor on a cookery show and Meher Bhasin as the beauty expert on Beautiful Hamesha, which sells beauty products. Of the products sold, jewellery, kitchen and home appliances are the fastest moving ones.
Darshan Mehrotra, a brand manager of a leading publication, may not have bought any products from the channel, but is “highly tempted to. My aunts don’t think twice about snapping up the jewellery and furniture sold on Express Features bngexpressso@epmltd.com