Grocery ecommerce has become an inevitable part of the food and beverage industry. A dramatic increase is being recorded in online grocery shopping especially in the USA. Online grocery sales have grown 40% in 2020 and are expected to have more users in 2021. The steady growth shows how well the future of online grocery platforms are. Today we can find numerous grocery ecommerce platforms that are rising in the market but at the same time most of them find difficulty in the market. To grow successfully in the market one needs to consider the below mentioned aspects that will strengthen your grocery store software.
Selecting the right business model
There are several business models available for online grocery stores. One needs to understand his business and should select a business model that perfectly suits his business demands and availability. If you are going to provide in-store pick facility then your grocery ecommerce platform should support ‘click and collect’ option.
Also if you are going to sell products from your own grocery store then you can have a single vendor grocery ecommerce platform. If you plan to combine multiple sellers in your platform then you can go for multi vendor hyper-local grocery platform.
Proper product maintenance
Products that we sell in our online grocery ecommerce platform need to be fresh and properly packed. Most of them will be food and beverages and you need to check its expiry date often and should deliver products that have enough expiry time. Perishable groceries are needed to be cleared then and there. Also various products cannot have a fixed weight and cannot be mentioned in the app. For eg. If you post watermelon in your grocery platform you cannot mention the exact weight as each watermelon weighs different. You should separate these products and should have different selling techniques.
Check the storage condition
Fresh grocery items need to be stored under proper temperature. Some products need to be stored in a refrigerator and others under normal temperature. The storage condition should suit well to store all products with the right temperature. If you own a grocery store, then make sure you have a perfect storage warehouse. Even if you have multiple sellers make sure they maintain their stock under proper storage ambiance.
Time slots and deliveries
You need to have a perfect order management system in your online grocery platform as if any confusion happens then you may lose your customer. Provide your customers different time slots and let them select the time slot according to their availability. Make sure that you deliver products on time in the accepted time slot and delight your customers without fail. This is one of the main aspects one needs to focus in making the grocery ecommerce platform successful.
Return and refunds
Returns and refunds are completely unavoidable when you run an online grocery platform. The products customers receive may not meet their requirement and in this case they will go in return. Some may ask for replacement through your grocery ecommerce platform and some may ask for a refund. You need to provide a hassle-free return and refund process to your customers that will increase your grocery platform credibility among your audience.
Geo location setting
Users always prefer to check their nearby grocery store and want to order from those stores. Also after ordering products they wish to check their order status and want to track their orders. To make this possible you need to have a geo mapping feature in your grocery ecommerce store that makes it possible.
Mobile app
Never delay in developing the mobile app for your grocery ecommerce store. The major audience uses mobile apps to order grocery items. Users find apps to be more comfortable as it has become a trend today. If you develop a app that supports both Android and iOS then you can easily expect greater conversion and get good returns. Initially you may find it to be costly, you can wait for your business to grow and then you can go for an app. But keep in mind that the time you delay is an opportunity for your competitors to get hold of your audience easily.
Communication channel
Although you can have all details in your grocery ecommerce platform still users need a communication channel to get in touch with the platform owners or sellers. They may have queries regarding their orders and need the customer care team to support them. You need to have either a chatbot or Whatsapp integrated with your grocery store software that will facilitate buyers and sellers to communicate with each other. This communication will possibly reduce unwanted returns and refunds to the grocery platform.
Technology consideration
There are many technological updates available and you need to make use of those advancements that will simplify your business operations and also will positively increase sales and revenues. Commonly used technology in grocery ecommerce platforms in recent days are artificial intelligence, machine learning algorithms, big data and many more. If you implement these technologies in your grocery store software you can see the change in productivity and you can have higher control over your customers.
Scalable and customizable – our ideas keep changing and our business keeps growing. One needs to keep this fact in mind while developing the grocery ecommerce store. You need to have customizable grocery store software that will let you keep changing the theme, layout and many more as per your requirement. Likewise make sure your online grocery store software is perfectly scalable that can hold huge data when your business keeps expanding.
Conclusion
Building a grocery store software is a good choice in this current situation. This will be a smart move for any entrepreneur who plans for better returns with minimum investment. Make sure you follow all the above mentioned aspects that will help your grocery ecommerce platform to survive in the market easily. Build a secured grocery store software and provide better user experience to your audience and maximize your ROI.