Brick shop after click store
By Sherriza Hareani

People laughed at him when IT entrepreneur A.K. Sabesan mooted the idea of selling sarees online.

The oft-repeated doubt: Who would buy costly saree material from a virtual store when the familiar shops in Little India beckon?

But the former Hongkong resident proved them wrong.

He not only sold the Kancheepuram sarees — made from special blends of silk and silver threads — online, but will use the experience from running his virtual store to launch a physical shop in six months. His online shop is called I-ndian Webmart.

In less than a year since it went online, the mart has raked in enough to justify the costs of employing a webmaster, an online merchandiser and a logistics officer.

Said Mr Sabesan: "When I started selling sarees online, people laughed at me and said no one would buy my sarees.

"They said that ladies are choosy and want to touch the fabrics before they buy."

Niche market
The 50-year-old business man laid the groundwork for I-ndian Webmart while still in Hongkong in April last year.

He set up office here two months later and the online store was born. Singapore, he felt, has a busy e-commerce market.

"With my qualifications, experience and knowledge of computers, I felt it was time to start trading on the Net," said Mr Sabesan, who is qualified in information systems management.

But starting out as an unknown posed a problem. The company had to make sure they provided impeccable after-online-sales service to gain credibility.

Six months ago, it did. I-ndian Webmat was accepted as a CaseTrust retailer.

Said Mr Sabesan: "Membership can only spell good things for the company. More people know that we exist."

Apart from sarees, the online mart also sells a slew of Hindu deity crafts such as bejewelled paintings and 24-karat gold statuettes.

Sandalwood and spices too
Mr Sabesan hopes to expand I-ndian Webmart’s product range to include things such as sandalwood, and speciality grocery items, for example, spices.

On selling on the Web, he said: "We want to reach out to Indians and Hindus living in different countries. With the Internet, the world is our market."