Slowly going are the days when people would anxiously wait for the Sunday paper to dig into classifieds.Instead of sitting down patiently with a marker and reading through columns and columns of weirdly categorised ads, all one has to do today is sit at a computer, choose from the many online classified portals available and just key in what one is looking for.In a city known for its IT sector, such a market is huge. Every year there is an influx and outflow of people. Most are fresh graduates or have been working for a few years. Most importantly, they travel light. No families, no furniture and no house. Common solutions are either lodging in a hostel or finding an apartment.And this is where the new trend has set in.Websites like sulekha.com, olx.com, quickr.com, indialist.com, and so on are the first places to go to now even before one sets foot in the city.Looking for an apartment (three, two or one BHK), furniture, car or bike, play station, fridge, television or whatever you name it, you are likely to find someone over here selling.In all probability, these are second or sometimes, even third-hand items.Which makes them all the more economical for working professionals who live out of their suitcase.The change in employment opportunities has greatly boosted consumer capacity in the country while the IT sector offers great pay-days to its employees who, unlike the earlier generations, aren’t afraid of spending more and saving less.Talking about the online business, Amarjit Batra, country head of olx.com, says, “Transactions mostly take place between a consumer and another consumer.This is a great place to sell off things as there is always somebody there to buy.” What makes online classifieds all the more appealing is that the space is more dynamic.There isn’t any charge for placing the ad and there is no content restriction which means one can upload pictures and videos.For people buying, the classifieds are categorised a lot more methodically, right down to the price range.And for the classifieds company, there is barely any start-up capital required and ground station can be anywhere, even halfway across the world.“Olx.com has its main server in Argentina while catering to about 90 countries.Though Hyderabad is one of our top 10 markets in India, there is no field office in the city or any of our other top market cities,” explains Batra.So, while it’s a great option for sellers and buyers, how does an almost low maintenance business work? Answers Batra, “Our revenue comes in from advertisements, sponsors and featured listings.We work like how the search engines do.Our services are free but we collect from companies advertising on the site.” Over the past five years, the online market has grown exponentially, to the extent that it has moved from the desktop to the mobile.So companies are now scrambling to get their apps into the market.“It’s the next generation.Mobile apps will give a big boost to online shopping,” predicts Batra.
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