Retail in Asia

In Trends

Snapdeal blends offline and online shopping

Will all stores eventually move online? Or will the first-mover advantage of offline stores mean that they forever remain an important and significant part of the way people shop? Indian ecommerce site Snapdeal’s latest launch, Janus, shows that it may just be a hybrid of the two.

Janus is an omni-channel platform that integrates all aspects of ecommerce – from ordering a product online to customising it and getting it delivered offline. This announcement comes after its earlier acquisition of ecommerce management software, Unicommerce and is named after Janus, the Greek god of transitions, beginnings, and all sorts of gateways. The launch will ideally lead to faster delivery rates and open up possibilities to a variety of cool new offline services, including product try-ons and customisation. Janus will be available across 70 cities in India.