There was a time when we had to go to the market and look for fresh groceries and supplies every day. Well, doing that in today’s world is a hectic task. The world has witnessed some of the most significant technological advancements in the last decade. All these advancements in technology have made the lives of individuals fast-paced. This is where the emergence of digital marketing started. People now require all their necessities from the comfort of their homes.
The Need for e-Groceries
The market of E-commerce gained significant ground in the early 2010s; however, it still could not overtake the popularity of the offline market. One of the biggest reasons for this was that people still had trust issues with the online platform. Most people could go and see the products that they buy. They could touch them, feel them, and even check for faults in the products. The online segment lagged in all of the aspects mentioned earlier. However, the offline market suffered a high setback with the onset of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
Due to the high rate of inflection, every offline operation came to a screeching halt. With the offline market being shut down, online platforms gained a significant amount of popularity. This was the time when online business owners worked hard to gain the trust of consumers.
On the other hand, the customers also came to terms with the advantages of getting things delivered at home. With the shops closed, one of the biggest things that emerged during this frame of time was the home delivery of groceries. People benefitted largely from this practice, and steadily, the online business of groceries took flight. Even after the end of the COVID protocols, the online market has blossomed significantly.
Let us now learn in detail about the emergence and relevance of e-groceries.
The Emergence Of E-Groceries And Instant Delivery Platforms
We have already discussed how fast-paced the lives of today’s world have become. This pace has had an impact on consumers as well. Most consumers have become very impatient. They demand all their needs be fulfilled at once. Speaking of being impatient, consumers are always lacking patience. No one wanted to join the queue to buy the groceries.
However, previously, the option of instant delivery was not available. Thus, the consumers had to bear with all the waiting. This is the exact point that the delivery platforms are targeting. They made the consumers wait for a shorter period. This is the main marketing strategy behind the sudden emergence of instant delivery platforms.
Initially, only the big giants, such as Google and Amazon, incorporated the option of fast delivery. However, as the years rolled by, the business model became more and more popular. It has been found in a study that most online businesses will adopt the same-day delivery marketing strategy by the end of 2025. The department of e-grocery saw a spike of 40% in 2020.
Instant Delivery Platforms
The idea of instant delivery platforms came into existence after listening to the demands of a number of consumers. Most of the customers stated that the possibility of making an online purchase would increase if they received the product on the same day. The same-day delivery options have revolutionized retail shopping as well. It has been found that customers buying things online tend to spend more if they are provided with suitable offers.
The example of Amazon Prime will clarify things further. It has been found that customers who are enrolled as Prime members spend way more compared to non-prime members. The market for e-groceries has seen a major spurt in growth.
From 2020 to 2026, the e-groceries industry is expected to rise by USD 4.74 billion in India. The picture of the emergence of the instant delivery platforms is very much clear from the recent statistics. There was a chunk of society that refrained from ordering groceries online. However, after being forced to knock on the doors of online shopping, they quickly realized how convenient the entire process was. Thus, they are looking to capitalize on the advantage, in turn, making the online delivery business flourish.
Brand Awareness
However, to keep the business running, companies must work hard on their brand awareness. So far, people have been forced to turn to the online market. Now they again have the option to go offline. To prevent customers from doing the same, brands need to devise new ways to keep customers hooked. They must come up with new ideas and marketing strategies. People hire smart companies like Konnect Insights to measure and analyze their analytics and track brand awareness.
Certainly, quality and convenience will be at the helm of things. Consumers must be provided with a premium quality product. Any deterioration in service will affect the business model significantly.
Discounts and Offers
Another easy way to get more and more customers is to provide them with discounts and offers. This can be an ideal way to attract more customers and expand business in the process. A survey has shown that a customer is more prone to spending money on discounted items. They will buy things that they normally would not if they were at a discount. Let us now learn more about the relevance of e-groceries in today’s market.
Relevance Of E-Groceries
In order to sustain in the market, same-day delivery cannot be the only way out for the instant delivery platforms. Most popular e-commerce sites have started to speed up their delivery times. Popular apps like Swiggy have introduced the concept of “delivery in minutes.” However, these measures might draw the crowd for a certain period. But it will not sustain itself in the long run.
Marketing Campaigns
The main concern of all the companies must be to promote brand awareness. They should focus on making their brand known to consumers. This can be done by incorporating several marketing campaigns. The business houses must also earn the trust of the customers to increase their goodwill. The e-grocery market has relevance in today’s society. The more convenient your service is, the more customers will be added to your base. The businesses must see to it that the groceries remain fresh, uncontaminated, and untouched.
The Delivery Ethos
Delivery of e-grocery is an ideal business model for the company as well. The model has tremendously helped in cost-cutting. It has reduced the cost of transactions, sales, holding of inventories, etc. Two of the biggest categories that have gained significant popularity are frozen and fresh. Surveys have shown that people who usually did not buy from the frozen section are now also ordering fish, meats, milk, and dairy products.
Another big plus of the online grocery model is the availability of contactless delivery. Most people in the post-Covid era are still worried about unwanted touch. These platforms offer the option of no-contact delivery. This is one of the many reasons that instant delivery platforms have grown in stature and are very much relevant in today’s society. The platforms are working very hard to make their user experiences better.
Most brands have appointed a special team of experts to work on the website. The websites are being designed in such a way that users will not face any difficulty in picking their favorite products. It has also been seen that customers are very much willing to spend more in return for convenience.
The Future
E-grocery and instant online platforms have been on the rise. It has been estimated to take over the brick-and-mortar system very soon. With new competitors like JioMart coming in, the competition will be fierce in the upcoming days. JioMart has already incorporated the idea of free delivery services. More new ideas and offers will be implemented to keep consumers glued to buying things online.
It has been estimated that a chunk of the gross domestic product of India will come from online grocery shopping in the future. The expansion of the online business is directly proportional to the expansion of the internet in the country. With the emergence of 5G and smartphones, businesses are bound to rule the commercial arena for the next decade.
The instant delivery platforms are already looking to grow their businesses by opening new opportunities in more and more cities. Apart from the big names like Blinkit, Big Basket, Amazon, etc., omnichannel players are also utilizing their retail supermarkets to deliver goods to concentrated locations.
Some of the omnichannel players are SPAR and DMart. The retailers are now offering more than ten thousand products to ensure that the customer checks out of the website with a bigger and fuller basket. All in all, the instant delivery platforms and the e-grocery model of business are here to stay for many years to come.
Conclusion
One of the biggest reasons is that the instant delivery platforms are very convenient and provide fast services without the hassle of physically going to the marketplace and browsing for the best things from various different shops. One of the main attractions of these delivery platforms has been their quick and lightning-fast delivery.
However, in order to sustain their business growth in the long run, the instant delivery platforms must upgrade and maintain the quality of their products and services in order to gain the trust of the customers.
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