Snapdeal Launches Snapdeal Gold, A Free Premium Service to Rival Amazon Prime & Flipkart Assured
When two large e-commerce companies like Flipkart and Amazon launch their own premium services, it becomes almost mandatory for other to follow. Flipkart Assured and Amazon Prime are the two services offered at the moment that have modeled the subscription services from the west.
Snapdeal, another e-commerce giant, has launched its own premium service, Snapdeal Gold, that offers all the bells and whistles of Amazon Prime at no extra cost. Any customer who opts to pay through Net Banking, Credit/Debit card, EMI or e-wallet will be eligible for an upgrade to Snapdeal Gold bundle service.
How is Snapdeal Gold a premium service?
You only have to be a Snapdeal customer to be able to avail this special bundle, and at no extra cost, the service does make it a very attractive offer. Unlike Amazon Prime and Flipkart Assured that cost a little over Rs. 500 a year, Snapdeal Gold will provide you better service with no addition to your bill.
First and foremost, it offers free shipping always, no minimum amount in the cart. A few cities will also get free next day delivery, which we think should get expanded to a lot of cities in the coming months.
Snapdeal will also emphasize on quality of its packaging and delivery to counter the service provided by Flipkart and Amazon India. Last but not the least, Snapdeal Gold will offer you extended 14 days return policy, something the company had abolished previously when it came to returning defective products.
How does it compare with Amazon Prime and Flipkart Assured?
This is probably the most important question in the mind of a buyer, considering there are three services now that will offer the same proposition. By just looking at it, we feel Amazon India is miles ahead with its tried and tested policies and programs.
However, let’s dig deeper to see if Snapdeal can actually take on Prime. Amazon Prime is available at Rs. 499 as an introductory offer which will be increased to Rs. 999 a year. This seems a bit too high considering Prime does not offer anything close to what it offers in the US and European countries.
Flipkart Assured is available at Rs. 500 a year, cheaper than Prime, but doesn’t promise much. Snapdeal offers free next day delivery, while Amazon offers free 1-day and 2-day deliveries in all cities, and a few metros getting same-day delivery option as well.
Flipkart only promises stricter quality controls and faster deliveries without putting a number to the delivery days. Amazon India not only offers stricter quality checks, but also a 30-minutes early sneak peak into its lightning deals and sales.
Finally, it all boils down to customer service. My experience with Amazon India has been the best, with their customer service executives properly trained for the job and their services kept top notch. Snapdeal and Flipkart have seen to produce hiccups and one cannot fully trust their services.
Should you opt for Snapdeal Gold?
Anything that is free must be tried, and if you’re a Snapdeal customer and loyal to it, then this will definitely improve your shopping experience on the website. At the moment cash on delivery cannot be chosen to avail Snapdeal Gold, only prepaid orders will be allowed to upgrade.
For a long term, we believe Amazon Prime will stand out, as the company starts bringing in its proprietary products like Amazon Video and Music services, and certain other delivery options in India. In any case, it is your hard-earned money and you must invest it in something that will offer your more for the buck.
Source: Snapdeal
