Flipkart Vs Amazon.in – Which one is Better and Why?

Flipkart and Amazon.in are the two biggest e-commerce websites in India. Flipkart is a local player as it an Indian company and sells only in India but Amazon is an International company and operates in almost all the major countries in the world. Amazon is also called as the king of e-commerce industry and is the top e-commerce company in the world. In India Flipkart has established itself very well in recent years, and became the top e-commerce website in India. But in 2013 Amazon has stepped its footsteps in India and now it is growing at a very fast rate both in terms of popularity and service.

The growth of Amazon in India has scared Flipkart to its core, and now Flipkart is doing something new every time to compete with Amazon. In fact you will be surprised to know that founders of Flipkart had worked in Amazon before launching their company in India. But with the rise of Amazon in India it is not hard to say that the founders of many well established e-commerce websites in India are having sleepless nights. So here let us compare the two top e-commerce websites in India i.e. Flipkart and Amazon and see how they are competing against each other in various departments or categories.

Comparison of Flipkart and Amazon.in

Here is a comparison of Flipkart and Amazon.in in departments.

Products Collection

Both these e-commerce websites have huge collection of products. Flipkart may have a slight edge as it has been around for few years. Both the websites sell variety of products ranging from Electronics, Computers, Apparels, Sports, Health and Cosmetics, to Books, Tools etc. Their range and variety of products are good for each and every category, so that the user can choose from wide range of options. So in this product collection category both Amazon.in and Flipkart are neck to neck.

User Interface

When it comes to user interface I think Flipakrt has a bit of edge over Amazon.in. The front end interface for both the sites are almost the same but the user interface at the time of buying, checking out and making payment is more simplified in Flipkart as compared to Amazon.in. It is because Amazon.in interface is same as it has for other countries and I think they should have some modify it for the Indian audience as they are lesser tech savvy.

Features

Both these services offer great features including COD (Cash on delivery) option that makes the shopping experience very simple and comfortable. You will get SMS alerts whenever your product is shipped, is about to be delivered to you and has been delivered. Amazon.in has one day or two day delivery options by which you can get your products delivered in one or two days by paying some extra charges. On the other hand Flipkart has ‘Flipkart First’ service that cost Rs. 500/- per year and the benefits you will get are free shipping on all your orders, same day delivery (depends on your location), priority customer service, exclusive offers and priority access to newly launched products and offers.

You have seen that some products on both these sites have special badges associated with them. Amazon.in has ‘Amazon Fulfilled’ badge and Flipkart has ‘Flipkart Advantage’. These special badges means that the products are stocked, packed and dispatched by the company itself and will be delivered to you within the given deadline. These badges induce a feeling of trust and satisfaction in the mind of buyers.

Marketplace

Both Amazon.in and Flipkart are Marketplaces, where various sellers around the country can join them and sell their products on them. Flipkart has recently become a marketplace and by doing so, the amount and variety of products on their website has increased considerably. Flipkart’s original or own seller is WS Retail which has very good feedback score and reputation among users.

Courier & Shipping

Both Amazon.in and Flipkart have their own courier services for delivering their products. Flipkart has E-Kart as their courier service and Amazon has ATS (Amazon Transportation Services). The quality and reliability of courier service for both these e-commerce websites are nearly the same.

Service & Customer Care

When it comes to customer care then Amazon.in has an edge over Flipkart. The support staff of Amazon.in is pretty quick to pick up your calls and try to resolve your issues or problems at the earliest. Whereas I have seen and heard a lot of complaints regarding the support staff from Flipkart and they sometimes try to avoid your problems rather than solving it. This can cause a lot frustration among buyers and results in negative feedback for your site.

Price and Discount

Prices on both these website vary from time to time but lately I have seen that Amazon.in prices are much more competitive or lower than Flipkart. Also both offer discounts on their products time to time, especially during festival season or on some special occasion.

Returns

Both these e-commerce sites accept returns and have their own return policy. The returns in Amazon.in are more flexible as compared to Flipkart.

Conclusion

Flipkart was at the top in India until Amazon came, and now Amazon is Flipkart a tough fight and is growing at a much faster rate in India both in terms of popularity and sales. Here I think both these companies are good at quality and service but I think overall Amazon.in has a bit of edge in every department.

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