When I first arrived in India I was none the wiser as to where to buy clothing that suited my sense of style. I was left choosing tea towel fabric from the local markets to have my cousin stitch me some Punjabi Suits. I found the Punjabi Suit rather uncomfortable with it's figure hugging kameez and tent sized salwar pants. After much searching online and trial and error I found the best shopping sites to use, each offering a app version for convenience.
My Top 5 Shopping Apps To Use In India
Myntra was my absolutely favourite shopping app to use in India simply because they had the largest variety of the best international and local brands along with ethnic wear. Most women in India wear short heels, yet I love my stilettos and the only place that sold quality stilettos was Myntra. They sold quality brands at a fraction of the price such as Forever 21, Mast & Habour and Qupid. I wish I could have bought more shoes whilst I was there but I simply had no room in my suitcase.
Their women's wear had a great array of styles from international brands that were both new and old season. By far the best selection above all the other shopping apps in India. They also sold new and upcoming brands from India such as their own affordable street label Roadster Co or Dressberry.
When it came to ethnic wear they sold an array of all styles, though I found Myntra had the best range in unstitched dress material. You can buy styles such as Lehanga Choli's, Kurtis and Anarkali Suits which usually come semi stitched.
I found majority of the photos depicted on Myntra's site were not photo shopped beyond recognition like most retailers. What you saw was what you got. Rather than using the same photo used from the designer label, they modelled all their clothing on their own models. Many retailers who sell ethnic wear use the same photo from the designer label and sell their own version of it. What we might call a knock off, yet it was no different than street labels redesigning catwalk designs.
Myntra offers cash on delivery however does not accept foreign bank cards.
Now I have a love hate relationship with Limeroad simply because they do have a great array of ethnic wear and Indian labels, however they always stuff up orders. Every time I purchased from them I would get the wrong size, over and over and over. You only have 7 days to request an exchange even if they are at fault. What was more frustrating that if it had sold out in the mean time you are stuck with the wrong size.
You won't find a great selection of international brands on Limeroad, however their ethnic wear was the best out of all the shopping apps. They sold the best selection of affordable stitched ethnic wear of all styles, from Lehanga Choli's to a Kurti. I purchased a lot of stitched Kurtis from Limeroad and they were all good quality; minus the fact I had to get them tailored as I received the wrong sizes.
It's best to shop carefully when using Limeroad as they aren't the most descriptive with their advertising and at times are incorrect. They also use photos used on the designer label, which is what every retailer does in India when selling ethnic wear. Be careful when buying suit fabric that if it shows this amazing model posing in a Bollywood scene this is the designer label. Most retailers sell their version of the original design, therefore it is not the same product.
Limeroad offers cash on delivery however does not accept foreign bank cards.
Shopping with an international retailer means that you also receive the same customer service that you would be accustomed to. Amazon was the best to deal with when it came to receiving what you ordered and providing refunds for any misleading or faulty items.
Amazon's range of clothing wasn't as great, however they sold everything from cosmetics, homewares, stationary, groceries to electronics and more. So it was a one stop shop making it convenient if you needed to buy a whole new outfit for a wedding including your accessories. Some items are offered with Amazon Prime which means you can receive them within a few days of ordering.
What made it difficult to comment on the quality of goods sold is that Amazon allows sellers to sell their own goods on their site. So each item isn't coming from Amazon but rather different smaller retailers across India which means shipping and quality can vary. Although they do give their guarantee on goods they have assessed.
They are a little more expensive when it came to buying ethnic wear and didn't do as many sales. I mostly shopped with Amazon for cosmetics and accessories as they had a fantastic range of purses and clutches. When I needed western cuisines I shopped with Amazon Pantry for groceries.
Amazon offers cash on delivery and being an Internationally reocgnised brand also accepts foreign bank cards. This makes it convenient in times when you are not able to access any cash, such as when the Indian government demonetized 500 and 1000 rupees notes.
I never did get a chance to personally shop with Jabong, however after having looked through their selection of clothing, they do offer an array of stylish ethnic wear. Apart from fashion you can also buy accessories, cosmetics and more. Jabong sell both a small selection of both international and local labels. However I couldn't comment on their customer service or quality. Though as with most retailers in India I would always shop with caution.
They do appear to offer a bigger selection of ethnic wear than Myntra or Limeroad though have a bit more of a price tag. You can also buy Sarees which are not available for sale on some shopping apps.
Jabong offers cash on delivery however does not accept foreign bank cards.
Flipkart not only offers clothing, you can also buy household goods, electronics, cosmetics, furniture and much more. They sell more types of goods than the rest of these retailers, yet have a smaller selection of each type of goods. I noticed Flipkart sells more local labels than international. However as with Jabong I never did personally shop with FlipKart, so couldn't comment on their customer service or quality.
When I lived in India they stocked a lot of ethnic wear that didn't appear to me as trendy or stylish. Though it seems they have updated their stock and have a better selection of stylish ethnic wear in an array of styles.
FlipKart offers cash on delivery however does not accept foreign bank cards.
What are your favourite sites to shop with online in India?
Be sure to let me know in the comments below. (comments only available on desktop)
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