Past couple of months and even partly today, we are all living in a lockdown. But one thing is for sure, we were locked but not down.
Today we have to talk about our negative attitude towards our business, especially local retailers. For some time now, a message has been being forwarded from the top of the roof that; in this time of lockdown, we survived with the help of our local area shops or traders. They helped us through such difficult times. They did not stop here; further said, where were the online or E-com guys! They came to your aid? They are interested in just doing business and do not care about you as their loyal customers? They have shown their backs in times of need, etc. So, now give your cooperation and help your local area trader, small shop-owners to come up in life. It sounds like a give and take relation.
Is this the way to run a business? Is it a right way to conduct business by making others look less important? If a man wants to come forward in life, he should make his line bigger and not; by making others’ line shortened.
We do not mean not to support such traders or shop-owners. With all due respect, they have supported and stood by the society during this tough time. And if they would not have been there, it would have been difficult to survive in lockdown.
Now the question is why did these local shop-owners have to make such an appeal? Some questions we have to ask ourselves. Are online companies or supermarkets started today? If they have been in this business for some years, have all the shops in our area closed down? This would have been definitely made a difference in sales and profits. But don’t we see more than two grocery or milk or some other shops in our area? Did we cry like that when such shops opened? With changing time, have we tried to understand our consumer? It makes sense to think about why he/she has started buying online.
Remember they did not have an option to buy online today so they came to you. But will they come back to you when they see online is back in action? We know why consumers buy goods online. As we trade to make some bucks he will too go where he gets benefits by saving money and getting value additions.
Just because I am close by or your forefathers used to buy from us or helped you in difficult times does not make your sales pitch and will not help. In this age of competition, I cannot do business emotionally alone.
Today’s consumer believes in variety. He/she will look for new options whether it is fashion or food.
Since majority of them today are working couples and they do not have time for shopping so they will go to a place where they can shop on their own time and prefer home delivery.
This customer will not hesitate to return goods bought goods online if they will not like what received and expects no questions asked in return.
They will evaluate reviews before buying anything. They need the flexibility of payment. He/she has options from cash on delivery to credit cards to online transfer to wallets etc. Whoever will provide such facilities they will happily deal with them.
The most important thing today is to see if I am getting a good deal. They will buy from the online site which will give them the best rate, value additions, free home delivery. So, competition is not only with your local retailers, online has big time competition vis-à-vis other online players.
Let us admit, these online players are all big guys with deep pockets and so they can afford to do business even at a loss. Whether I too can afford to make losses! That is not the point, the question is have I ever tried out of the box thinking to delight my customer!
According to a survey, grocery store business grew by 39% during the lockdown and 29% of consumers expect to buy from them in the future. You have to take advantage of this opportunity now that customer sentiment is with you.
Understand the online aspect of doing business carefully and start working on it. If you can pass through 6 parameters out of 10 compared to online players, your customer will surely ignore the other 4, stick to you and will support you for sure.
The digital way of life will play a big part in the time to come after Covid-19, and so we have to make a difference in the way we do business. The following points can be considered at such times.
Consumer gets everything at one place in online, why you don’t also make a mini platform for your area! First of all, the necessities of life and other shops in your area should be united. All you have to do is set up an online app that allows your customers to place their orders online. You have resolved primary problem. Other important point is consumer needs variety. If you are online, you don’t mind ordering certain items as needed with the help of small and large tie-ups.
If you all can make your area little wider by involving more shop owners, you may also have a price command from your merchants so that your buying cost goes down and you can give the benefit to the customer.
Payment method which is a very small thing you can have adopted even today.
There will be an app so the customer can place an order at any time he/she wants, whether it is day or night. Anyways you are doing home delivery today, so that question will be solved well. You do not even have to give credit for the payment as the payment will be done online first.
With the help of all the shopkeepers, set up a logistics chain in your area. You can take a big godown, increase the number of people for delivery so as to save time and demand of the consumers.
Most importantly in which you have an edge over online guys; you are close to them while online is far. They know you well when they do not know who is selling online. If he has to experience the product, he will be able to do it, which is not possible online. Highlight these issues and bring your emotional side to your attention.
Call meeting of the members of the society around you and give them the information of your app, motivate them to place an order on it. Let them know that you adopted their favourite online process for them and assure that they will get the same benefits rather better.
Run small-to-large schemes every week or month. Engage them in ways like online flash sale, one on one free, mid-weekday offer, etc. Stay in touch with them via email, WhatsApp.
If you will have attractive numbers of customer base, many brands will approach you with special deals, your app may become an advertising platform. This way you can create separate revenue stream for yourself.
All this may sound funny and impossible to us but even when the E-com companies came, we might have ignored them initially. In addition to this, Reliance’s Jio Mart, which is coming on a large scale, may also enter the field with the same ideology. Maybe they will make you their partner too, so why you guys only take this initiative for your betterment.
There are many such ideas to think about and today when customer sentiment is with you, think about such hyper local ideas to make your own line bigger and not to make others line shortened, not to cry or appeal for business. Do it in right spirit and get yourself prepared to compete with anyone and everyone. Tawa Garam hai, Mar Do Hathoda …