Textile sellers hope for a turnaround this Deepavali

CHENNAI: Textile vendors in the city expect a rise in sales as this is a festive season. However, they have mixed opinions with regard to the sales. The industry is also being affected by the competition among the sellers and online shopping platforms.

“Quality and price are taken into consideration before purchasing a product as the cost of everything has surged. We expect good quality products with reasonable price. As we are a family of five, we go to a few shops and check the price to select the reasonable ones before purchasing,” says R Renuka, a homemaker. She added that Purasawalkam is the next best choice after T Nagar because the latter will be crowded. Though T Nagar is Chennai’s biggest shopping hub, customers hesitate to go due to the heavy rush, especially during the seasonal time.

“The business is quite dull as people prefer online shopping. Even during Deepavali time, there is no sale. There are no special offers as we do not have any profit. We are unable to maintain the business margin,” states TM Rajendran, Kedarnaths Suiting at Broadway. Offline retailers have seen a drop in customers and revenues, particularly in the younger market which is focused on fashion garments. It has impacted small and medium-sized shops, who find it difficult to match the ease and affordability provided by e-commerce websites.

“Sales were very high before Deepavali itself. We are selling three shirts for Rs 1,000, and two pants for Rs 1,000. There is an increase in the sales during Deepavali and other festivals. Competition is the only problem, but it is manageable with the rate and quality,” A Saleem from Paramount Clothing Co. at Mogappair explains. In a metropolitan city like Chennai, there is at least one shop in each street that is meant for clothing.

The sellers are coming up with offers to attract customers. “There is a good number of customers coming to the shop. The sale is normal like any other day and I hope that the number will increase in the upcoming days as many festivals are lined up. Ladies tops are high in demand this season,” says SJ Gani, Aasiyah Readymade Garments, Arumbakkam. He added that the sale is more during the weekends compared to weekdays.