Snapdeal is trying to close the gap with its e-commerce rivals, Amazon and Flipkart, by launching a new premium service called Snapdeal Gold. The premium service bundles free shipping, free next-day delivery and extended insurance on the purchase, all for free.
Shoppers will be automatically upgraded to Gold membership when they pay using credit or debit card, net banking, EMI or mobile wallet while booking an order. It does not apply for cash-on-delivery payments.
By launching Snapdeal Gold, the third-largest online retailer in India is levelling the playing field with Amazon and Flipkart, which offer Amazon Prime and Flipkart Assured with similar benefits to shoppers. While Amazon's premium membership costs Rs. 499 a year, Flipkart and Snapdeal are offering their respective memberships for free. Amazon is the largest e-commerce player in India, which gives it the advantage of choosing how it offers its premium services to customers.
In addition to free deliveries, Snapdeal Gold offers 100 percent quality check on products and extended 14-day return period on orders. More than 5 million products under SD+, which are from Snapdeal's fulfilment centres, are covered under Snapdeal Gold membership.
"Snapdeal Gold is literally the gold standard in customer service, and we want more and more customers to experience Snapdeal's distinctive service. We are confident that Snapdeal Gold will raise the bar for digital commerce experience in India. This unique offering is yet another milestone towards our mission of building India's most reliable and frictionless digital commerce ecosystem," Rohit Bansal, Snapdeal's co-founder, said in a statement on Monday.
Snapdeal has been trying hard to match up to its rivals. It launched a Rs. 200 crore-worth 60-day campaign that runs up to Diwali and has revamped the brand with a new logo, colour scheme and tagline.
