Bhubaneswar, Aug. 27: Sisters are picking up the best rakhis for their siblings, but this time most of the business is happening online leaving roadside vendors in the lurch.
For years, Raksha Bandan has been the time for vendors to make big bucks, but they are facing the heat with a number of online shopping portals offering innovations such as customised bands.
A number of online portals are even providing options such as printing special messages on the band or getting pictures of brothers imprinted on them.
This has made many opt for the online experience.
"I wanted a unique rakhi for my brother this Raksha Bandan, which will be celebrated on Saturday. I visited a lot of stalls in the city, but the designs are too typical and outdated. So, I surfed a few websites and came to know about the customised rakhis and went for it," said Subhashree Beehra, a 25-year-old MBA graduate.
The prices of these rakhis ranges between Rs 300 and 500 that includes shipping charges. A number of online portals based in Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai are offering such facilities.
Many opt for online shopping also because it saves time. Apart from buying rakhis, one can also buy gifts of their choice for their brothers simultaneously.
"We are offering discounts on rakhi gifts both for men and women. Online shopping saves the hassle of standing in queues for gifts or running around for your best pick," said Manishankar Sikdar, who runs online shopping portal amokart.com.
Though shopping portals have made things easier for buyers, vendors are having a hard time.
Amulya Behera, who has been putting up a rakhi stall for the last 12 years near Nayapalli, says that sale has dipped by a huge margin.
"For small traders like us, this is seasonal business and an opportunity to earn some money. Earlier, I used to sell around 500 rakhis everyday, but this year it has come down to around 300. The sales is too low and the turnout has also decreased," said Amulya.
The families who are involved in the business of making rakhis are quite worried. Manisha Mohanty has been crafting rakhis with her daughters for over five years and her husband puts up a stall at Saheed Nagar.
"Earlier we used to compete with other stall owners, but now the trend has changed. We are competing with technology and unfortunately we are the weaker side," said Manisha.
