The number of online retailers in third world countries have mushroomed in recent times. Among the lot, one company that stands out is Jabong. How do they manage to come to prominent view? As one browses the internet, one cannot ignore the presence of Jabong ads on the web. Jabong has spent a fortune in advertising not just on television, but also on the internet, through many ad networks, Google is the most notable.
On their site, their collection is quite exquisite. I am not a fashion guru, but neither are my choices tasteless. The merchandise mix is varied, trendy, has a good collection of brands, and across a wide spectrum of product categories and price points. The icing on the cake is the COD (Cash on Delivery) payment option, which has become an industry standard these days, and free shipping.
But this is not something that motivated me to write this post. All the advertising and the good collection made me register with Jabong.com. My first transaction was a smooth affair and I was surprised to see the stuff that I ordered, delivered on the second day, which was a Sunday! Jabong scores here for prompt delivery (read superfast express delivery!), and good quality merchandise.
Upon registration, Jabong gave me coupons worth Rs. 2000/-, which I could use in four installments of Rs. 500/- each, on transactions of Rs. 1500/- each. Jabong scores a second time, for clever promotions, which give them good business, while also rewarding customers for shopping, thereby making them loyal.
It is the second transaction, that makes me write this. Upon receiving the coupons, I was induced to buy and redeem the coupon, like any consumer would. Me being an intelligent shopper (everyone is these days!), decked up four T-Shirts which came to a retail value of Rs. 1664/-, which came down to Rs. 1164/- upon applying the coupon. I selected the COD option, and the order was successfully placed. I was contacted by Jabong's executive, within two hours, to confirm the order. Jabong scores another one here. They confirm every COD order before dispatching the merchandise. Clever move by the company, operating in an industry which is plagued by stagnant inventory which was ordered with COD, but not met with payment upon delivery.
As expected, I received the goods within 2 working days. Here is where the interesting part begins. Of the four T-Shirts ordered, only three were delivered and invoiced. The delivery guy said details for nondelivery would be inside the packaging. Inside the package was a letter from Jabong, which claimed that that one particular item (Of Rs. 467/- value) failed to pass their stringent quality test, and hence was not delivered. Though unhappy, I liked the way they delivered their message (Which is: Don't be over smart while using coupons).
I decided to take this up with Jabong, and queried them in one of their posts on Facebook, where they actively interact with their audience. Here is a screenshot 0f my comment on their facebook page.
Surprisingly, this morning, I was contacted by a Jabong representative over phone, who said he had seen my post on facebook and was directly talking to me about my order (Jabong looked me up, and researched my order, and delivery details). He also said that he has initiated an internal investigation into the transaction, and will get back soon. Jabong did get back after a few hours, and apologized for nondelivery, and also gave me a reason why they would not be able to deliver too.
Jabong scores big here. Their page has around 199,000 fans, and thousands of comments every day. If you look at the screenshot carefully, you can see that Jabong has replied to the query of many a customer/fan apart from me. This shows that the retail company is taking its social media presence seriously, like any other touch point, and puts customer service as not just a priority, but a necessity. By carefully watching such small things, Jabong is able to manifest a big branding message. A thumbs up from me!