Infibeam vs. Flipkart- Which Is Better And Why?

Is your left hand any better than your right hand? That entirely depends on which hand you use more often. Similarly, Infibeam and Flipkart are two such limbs that are very alike yet unique in their own ways. However, when it comes to making a judgement on which one is superior, the task is that much tougher. For starters, both sites were primarily online book stores established in 2007. Both have since diversified dynamically into various other fields of online shopping and have become online supermarkets. Their pricing policies are almost identical and the sites’ interfaces are replicas of each other. People use both addictively and both of them are earning substantial revenues that are mounting monthly. It becomes quite impossible to make a judgement now, but these similarities are the real deciders.

The following five features will help you decide which one is better.

1. Round One, Who converses better: B2C communication have now the basic requirement of a good online store. Thus, Business Communication is the first resolver. Flipkart takes this very seriously and replies to any mail sent by a customer within an hour, while Infibeam is a lot slower but much more colourful in its reply. What Flipkart gains on time is lost in the ingenuity of Infibeam’s reply mail. If time and efficiency is what is expected, then Flipkart seals the deal. However, Infibeam ensures that they put a smile on the user’s face after the mail is read. The tracking process of the order is yet another factor to consider. Flipkart lets the user know the location of the order with extreme precision while Infibeam is a little lazier. They however make up on a quick debiting of the price of the order in case the order gets cancelled.

2. Round Two, Who serves better: With a draw in the first round, the next item is a very minor yet decisive detail called packaging. Flipkart wins here hands down. With a neat slip containing all details about the user, item of purchase and particulars, all packed in a beautifully robust package, bubble wrap included; Flipkart’s packaging strategy is way ahead of Infibeam’s. Sadly, Infibeam only provides packaging of such quality for a larger quantity in the orders, unlike Flipkart which gives such packaging even on single item orders. There have been only a handful of cases where Flipkart’s packaging was unsatisfactory whereas Infibeam keeps no such record. The tidy seal and cheeky logo helps and in all, Flipkart makes people feel they are sending diamonds in the box.

3. Round Three, Who has the Looks: Personal interests and preferences considered, while both have the ‘Browsing’ and ‘Searching’ preference, users have the option of choosing from the best ‘Browse’ option on Flipkart and best ‘Search’ option on Infibeam. In this case, yet again, Flipkart’s sheer range of shelves gives users an excellent choice and diversity of product space. Infibeam’s search option, at times, fails to provide a result and could disappoint customers. Flipkart’s interface is a lot simpler, faster and sparsely filled. Infibeam, on the other hand, tries to attract the customer’s eyes with its shifting centre ad. Again, these are personal choices and customers may well be attracted small things of both pages. On a professional note, Flipkart appears to have the lead on good packaging and a niche interface which customers can easily get used to.

4. Round Four, Who saves the Wallet: A very hard decision to make with the extent and scale of offers available on both. Flipkart Coupons are highly sought after but Infibeam Coupons are bigger hits. With a range of exclusive percentage and money worth offers, Infibeam allows its customers to see what they are saving and their coupons sell better. This is comparable to Flipkart Coupons which show a very high percentage off, sometimes as high as 60%. What distances the two are the looks of the juicy offers that Infibeam gives. Even their online store has a bolder and emphasised look on the offers that they give. The Coupons are attractive and accessible.

5. Round Five, Who satisfies: The tally stands at 2-1 to Flipkart, with one draw. At the end, Customer Satisfaction plays the role of a tiebreaker and absolute judge. With consumer rights and awareness surging, everyone has realised the importance of customer care and satisfaction. Online sites such as the two also thrive on customer satisfaction. Flipkart satisfies enough and beyond its competition. Customers and commentators have gone far enough to quote its service as the bench mark for future sites. The reason: customers who go to Flipkart very rarely leave. Ethics, Politeness, Remorse, Respectable, and Amiability are the virtues of a good human being and surprisingly Flipkart’s too. They are indeed the Online Megastore.  While Flipkart sends a polite email as soon as (very rarely) an order is delayed and promises to replace defected books within 2-3 days or when it sends regular offers to loyal users, Infibeam is a little business minded in its approach. At times, books and items get postponed without any notice, the user is unaware if his/her order was cancelled, customers don’t get to talk to the managing head of customer care and there are many instances where such cases have turned sour and customers have vowed to never return to Infibeam. Flipkart values its customers in karats and tries hard to retain them, and that’s all that matters.

Having delivered the verdict does not change certain contrasts. Infibeam is purely based on its founders’ start-up money, whereas Flipkart is a Venture Capital funded start-up. Flipkart’s cute toddler ads have amassed lots of customers and were deemed as an excellent marketing strategy, whereas Infibeam doesn’t employ babies. For all this verdict is worth, customers may well be attracted to Infibeam. It’s all about personal choice and for all like-minded people with the following tastes Flipkart would suit them perfectly. Business is after all personal.

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