Mass retailers wary of discounts on e-commerce sites

Mass and value retailers are wary of offering discounts on e-commerce sites and are therefore looking to launch their own online platforms.

Brick & mortar retailers such as Kewal Kiran Clothing, Liberty Shoes and Max Retail prefer moving into the e-commerce space on their own instead of trying to peddle their wares on market place sites belonging to a third party.

“We are working on having our own e-commerce sites with a separate line of apparel for the online channel as we believe in having the right price and product.While we are selling through sites such as Jabong and Myntra, we are considering individual sites for our denim brands like Killer and Lawman,” said Hemant Jain, Founder & Executive Director, Kewal Kiran Clothing.

Mass footwear retailer Liberty Shoes is also clear about its own e-commerce strategy. “We do not believe in eroding our brand with heavy discounts. E-commerce should be about convenience, not discounts,” says Anupam Bansal, Director of the retailer. The footwear company is now negotiating with app makers such as Shopsity, which help consumers in locating retailers and brands at the nearest stores.

Value fashion retailer Max has a no-discount agreement with market place sites like Flipkart. “We make sure we are not part of an end-of-season deals on Flipkart. Since our prices are already low, it would not be possible to further discount it. Discounts work for premium brands which can be sold at wholesale prices through e-commerce sites,” says Vasant Kumar, Executive Director, Max Retail.

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