Times Internet shuts NRI-focused e-shop Hutk.com

Times Internet's e-commerce site called hutk.com, launched with a focus on capturing the NRI market with ethnic wear, home and lifestyle goods, has been shut. The note on the site reads 'under maintenance'.

The site offered a range of products in categories such as ethnic Indian apparel for men (kurta pajama, sherwani, etc) and women (saree, lehenga, etc), jewellery, handicraft (paintings and sculptures) and spiritual items (prayer beads and puja items). Buyers had the option of viewing the prices in Indian rupee, US dollars, pound sterling and euros.

The development was first reported by NextBigWhat  which quoted the company's COO as saying that the firm's focus currently is on the Indian e-commerce market. The group also runs Indiatimes Shopping.

Speaking at Techcircle Startup 2012, Satyan Gajwani, CEO, Times Internet, had stated that the firm would be shifting the focus from content to products.

Hutk is the second property from which the group recently pulled the plug. Earlier, it had shut down the Indiatimes email service, Indiatimes mail, for the lack of a great long-term future business case in free consumer e-mail.