How COVID-19 Has Changed The Way People Shop for Indian Ethnic Wear
By Mookambiga
MOOKAMBIGA discovers that being able to shop for your Indian ethnic wear without having to travel the distance just got easier.
Saree is considered to be the oldest form of garment to be around with more than 5,000 years of existence. (Photo by Mookmabiga)
You want to get your ethnic wear at a physical store but you dread the crowd. Without having much choice, you reluctantly go. However, when the pandemic began, everything went online. Life suddenly became so different.
When Covid-19 hit Singapore, 74 per cent of consumers shopped online more frequently due to the lockdown and social distancing restrictions. Some even made their first online purchase during this period. Although shopping for sarees online has been an option before, many prefer to shop for their sarees in physical stores. Sarees that are sold online tend to be significantly more affordable, and cost as low as $60 or even lesser. Customers are given the option to either shop from online websites or from social media sites like Instagram.
One great example of such an online business is managed by Ms S Jasintha on Instagram called @thexsareexshop. Ms Jasintha started her business because of her love for Indian traditional wear since she was young. Her goal was to bring “pocket-friendly collections” so that people can get what they love “without breaking the bank”. She has been running her online saree business for a year now. During the Deepavali season, Ms Jasintha had about 40 pre-orders for her sarees.
​With many competitors around her, Ms Jasintha remains relevant by bringing in collections like Kanchipuram cottons that are “not easy to find in the market”. She has direct contacts in India to get her stocks and ship them over to Singapore.
“We’re always working on bringing in new collections, unique designs while keeping our roots intact,” says Ms Jasintha.
A hand-sewn blouse can cost between $50 to $200 depending on the complexity of the embellishments of the embroidery. (Photo by Mookmabiga)
Saree is a 6-meter long material that is adorned by Indian women. Since it is not made-to-measure, anyone could tie a saree. All they have to do is either stitch a blouse or pick a pre-made blouse that matches the saree.
Ms Gowri Edwards is a consumer of sarees sold on online shopping platforms and prefers it as it is fuss-free. However, she often worries that her expectations for the saree might not be met.
“I worry about the colour and quality. Sometimes what you see is not what you get,” says Ms Edwards.
Ms Asmita Mohanty, 22, is another consumer of sarees sold online. As someone who previously purchased her sarees from India, she enjoys online shopping as she does not need to go to several stores before finding the design she likes best. Ms Mohanty says that she avoids getting disappointed with the quality of the product by going to brands that she has purchased from before, or purchasing from friends as well as influencers that she follows to “get a good gauge of the material and durability”.
Despite the challenges faced by online businesses, many sellers try to outdo themselves by marketing themselves in various ways. Some use social media personalities to promote their products like draped.co and some reach out to their target audience via their service. Similarly, Ms Jasintha always helps her customers by guiding them through the order process and providing them with timely updates in regards to their orders.
The pandemic has changed the way we go about shopping but it has paved the way for tons of businesses to reinvent their business to accommodate the changes.