Modern shopping is primarily fuelled by superior service and convenience. As such, online grocery shopping is increasing in popularity rapidly because more and more people are finding it comfortable to buy their daily essentials over the Internet instead of driving through traffic jams for reaching a brick-and-mortar store and standing in a long queue at the register to make payments. According to surveys, the business of online grocery market of Asia can very well hit the mark of 19 billion dollars by 2020.
Studies have shown that in five Asian countries, including India, customers usually shop for their groceries online around 5pm on the weekdays, and near 10am during weekends and Mondays. This means that consumers love to do grocery shopping at the end of their workings hours and on weekends so they would not have to worry about running out of supplies during the entire week. Besides that, most of these people are aged between 25 and 45 years, with majority of them being women who often place weekly orders. Moreover, working mothers comprise the largest part of them, and their top purchased products include milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and baby care accessories. The second largest group of buyers include expatriates and professionals, whose top purchases are spaghetti, meat, soft drinks and vegetables.
In the metropolitan cities of India, particularly Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, grocery is one of the top 3 things bought online. With the availability of mobile apps, customers are happily joining the bandwagon of online grocery shoppers with great enthusiasm. Several other factors are also contributing to the cause, like uberisation and increased access to broadband and mobile Internet.
For retailers, the industry seems far more promising than it used to be a decade ago. This is because the online grocery shopping sector abounds in opportunities, due to rapid urbanisation, growing wealth and of course, a sea of food-loving customers. For instance, an online grocery store in Kolkata called Ration Guru has reaped great benefits from virtualization of their grocery store, including a boost in sales, increased brand recognition and more loyal customers.
Despite of the fact that some people still find it better to shop their groceries from brick-and-mortar stores, many have turned to online grocery shopping simply because of the comfort it provides. After all, nobody wants to climb the stairs at the end of a tiring day with heavy bags in their hands.
For retailers, the industry seems far more promising than it used to be a decade ago. This is because the online grocery shopping sector abounds in opportunities, due to rapid urbanisation, growing wealth and of course, a sea of food-loving customers. For instance, an online grocery store in Kolkata called Ration Guru has reaped great benefits from virtualization of their grocery store, including a boost in sales, increased brand recognition and more loyal customers.
Despite of the fact that some people still find it better to shop their groceries from brick-and-mortar stores, many have turned to online grocery shopping simply because of the comfort it provides. After all, nobody wants to climb the stairs at the end of a tiring day with heavy bags in their hands.
