Why You Don't Need To Be Excited About Junglee

For long, gadget-hungry Indians had little choice but to make do with what the local market sold, or depend on US-returnees to pick up something from Amazon. While the local market has evolved and there are a lot of products from each category on offer, the variety and depth of products that the US have are simply mind-boggling. For instance, I myself have picked up the fabulous Grado SR325 headphones, along with lots of other stuff via desh-headed ‘mules’.

Hence, the news that Amazon was coming to India was bound to create excitement. All those products now, at our doorstep! Woohoo!

Sadly, that’s turned out not to be the case. Amazon’s first entry to India, via Junglee.com is a half-baked excuse of a website that does more damage than good to the Amazon brand.

Junglee, like Amazon, does not have products of its own (barring the hugely successful Kindle range), but sources them from vendors. It’s a model that’s worked very well for Amazon in the US, and there was no reason why it shouldn’t have here as well. Unfortunately, Junglee is a poor attempt, even if it was a baby step, by the e-commerce behemoth. And here’s why.

1. There’s nothing new, no benefit: Selling books from Indian sources at the same prices. Selling international products from Amazon with no benefit (I still pay full shipping). Just another website for me, that too without the excitement that Amazon’s website brings to mind in terms of layout and design. Snore.

2. Poor integration with Amazon: When #-Link-Snipped-# has been able to integrate with Amazon and show prices in INR as you browse it (a very nice experience), it’s stunning that Junglee hasn’t done something like this. All it does is leave you at the doorstep of Amazon and leave.

Not just that, even if I want a product from the US and am willing to pay for it, it may not show up on search. I tried searching for Grado headphones – no luck. I tried for Reptomin Turtle food, and it showed up. So there’s inconsistency here.

3. Shipping costs: As someone comes onto Junglee’s homepage, it’s quite easy for him to be blown away by the ‘Kindle, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display’ for #-Link-Snipped-#. However, this is the cost without shipping and taxes. Complete the process and the final cost goes up to… $149.19 or INR 7460. Which is more expensive than what you can pick up from eBay India.



It’s only a matter of time before a backlash on this matter hits Junglee.

4. Poor shopping experience: On Amazon, the purchase process is fluid and simple, and people are actually surprised that Amazon themselves aren’t selling the product. Junglee, on the other hand, acts as a middleman to the hilt. To the point where they lead you to the external page and say “Here you are, now you go and complete it on your own”. It’s stunning that Amazon has even allowed the cardinal sin of e-tail to be done: Taking people willingly away from your portal. Like Amazon, the entire shopping experience should have been done on Junglee itself.

What’s made this more confusing is that international and Indian sellers sit side by side. Expect great variations in prices.

5. Products from the US will always be expensive: Most of the stuff we want from the US, will be – uhm, from the US. Since so manufacturing will happen in India, these products will always have an associated shipping cost. Heck, even if Amazon set up here full-fledged and flew exclusive planes from the US so that shipping costs will be reduced thanks to scale, there is still the minor matter of duties.

I understand that this is just Amazon’s foray, even experimental. But it seems to be a half-baked effort. Flipkart is conspicuous by its absence in the vendor’s list and I don’t think this is because an email went unanswered. Flipkart doesn’t intend to sell out to anyone, and is focusing big-time on getting its base and loyalty right. The latter shouldn’t be a problem at all, given it’s one of the most loved brands in India today.

It will be interesting to see what Junglee’s alpha version is going to be like. Till then, you can keep scouring for a long-lost uncle paying a visit to India so you can order #-Link-Snipped-#.