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Ambala’s cloth merchants embrace e-commerce amid Covid-19 crisis, sell 90% products through WhatsApp
Merchants send customers latest designs over WhatsApp; with wedding functions banned traders say the cloth market is in a slump
With customers shying away from venturing into markets amid the Covid-19 pandemic, cloth merchants in Ambala are now using technology to reach out their customers and are selling around 90% of their products through WhatsApp.
Customers have stayed away from the market even after Unlock 1 was initiated and restrictions were lifted. To revive sales, traders have started selling products to their loyal customer base in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh by sending their designs over WhatsApp.
Merchants affiliated with the Ambala Cloth Market Welfare Association that run around 1,000 shops spread across the Old Cloth Market, Maharaja Agrasen Chowk and Kalka Chowk in Ambala are doing 90% of their business using social media.
Association president Vishal Batra said nearly 50% of their dealings were with customers from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh who were unable to come to the market.
“It was very difficult to sustain our business after the two-month lockdown but most of us have made WhatsApp broadcast lists and send customers the latest designs. Almost half of our revenue comes from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh,” said Batra.
The Ambala cloth market provides employment to nearly 11,000 people directly and indirectly. Their estimated turnover is around Rs 2,000 crore, which is said to be the largest in Asia.
‘CLOTHES NOW A LUXURY’
A merchant, Harish Ahuja, said, “In these difficult times, most of our products have become luxury items. In the absence of wedding functions in urban areas, sales have taken a plunge. Some customers from rural areas do come to us for wedding shopping but they hardly contribute to our profits.”
“Now, we reach out to customers over WhatsApp and send them their products through courier or transport as per their demand. Almost no locals are venturing out to shop.”
