The e-commerce landscape has been taking a massive turn in India. Thus making small business owners powerful through online platforms. This is great, as people from all classes and capacities are coming forward to make this market more open and easily accessible for all. But with this, competition goes hand in hand.
The digital age has made some of the best grocery store franchise in india transform their methods. People today want extreme comfort and buy from online platforms to gain benefits such as home delivery, wider product selection, competitive prices, security, and strong infrastructure.
Leveraging technology to be competitive in this digital age is important. But the question is: how can a franchise strive to gain an edge in the e-commerce industry?
10 strategies to tackle E-commerce competition easily
1. Understanding the E-Commerce Landscape:
Online grocery shopping is growing rapidly and is expected to reach $1.2 trillion by 2025. The Indian market has witnessed a jump of 40% in online grocery sales and is still growing rapidly. The strong infrastructure and convenience of shopping are the major factors in such huge growth. However, we have listed some of the other important factors as well.
- A wider choice of products offers better deals from all around the world, exposing consumers to quality products at reasonable pricing.
- Online groceries offer better competitive prices than traditional franchises.
- Shopping online has better transparency than traditional shopping.
- Online e-commerce is personalized for each customer.
2. Adapting the Customer Experience for the Digital Age:
Online shopping can’t offer the physical experience of the products before buying them. They need a traditional store for that. A traditional franchise store can opt for some great technological changes to offer a more personalized experience for their customers. Check the list below.
- Start the omnichannel method of entertaining customers. (Explained in the next point.)
- Use interactive displays, virtual fitting rooms, personalized recommendations, smart servicing, online payment, and interactive arrangements.
- Focus on your servicing. Train your salespeople to serve customers first by understanding what they want in real life.
- Create a pleasing environment for consumers instead of being just a shopping destination. Use interactive arrangements, Instagram spots, and color combinations.
3. Omnichannel Strategy Implementation:
The omnichannel approach allows customers to complete their purchase in any or both ways, online and offline, without getting into the hustle of starting over. This means customers change their ways of shopping with consistenand & convenient methods. The key benefit of this strategy is the power to use both platforms as one instead of two independent.
- Access the same product information across all platforms.
- Allow purchases and returns through any channel.
- Focus on customer service and make both platforms equally comfortable for consumers.
- Train your employees to offer the quality services required.
- Personalize your store’s customer experience.
- Take inspiration from these franchise stores around the world.
- Walmart
- Sephora
- Starbucks
4. Creating an E-commerce Presence:
Get along with the development of technology and take steps to build a solid e-commerce presence. A well-designed consumer-centric website & mobile app will help you reach a wider audience who prefer online shopping.
Make sure that they get easy access to products, offers, new arrivals, pricing, comparisons, and placing their orders.
- Make your website mobile-friendly.
- Offer several payment options.
- Offer personalized services to customers.
- Use social media & online marketing to build your brand in the local market.
- Offer click & collect service.
5. Digital Marketing for Local Impact:
Use digital marketing to win your local & nearby markets. There are several digital marketing agencies offering powerful services like SEO, SMM, Google Ads, Email Marketing, and Google Maps to gain a lot of attention in the local market. However, your branding, with the right strategies, can go broader. Here are some tips before you go online:
- Focus on creating high-quality content.
- Use local keywords to target a specific area.
- Optimise your Google My Business.
- Start using social media, especially Instagram.
- Run paid ad campaigns.
6. Leveraging Loyal Programs & Rewards:
Loyalty programs can help businesses create a lifetime customer base. These programs boost customer retention and increase their chances of returning to shopping. Customers find it beneficial when they get offers and returns on their purchases; therefore, they are likely to come repeatedly. While designing a loyalty program, keep these in focus.
- Make the loyalty program relevant to the products or services.
- The rewards must be valuable.
- Offer valuable & easy redemption to the customers.
- Keep a variety of rewards for different customers.
7. Investing in Technology:
Adapting to technology can be a powerful tool to increase your efficiency, profitability, management, order processing, and customer communication. Above that, the best grocery store franchise in India can streamline their work, reduce costs, and boost customer experience. Below are some ways technology can help in competing with digital e-commerce.
- Helps in tracking inventory in real-time.
- Automate stock needs according to the previous sales data.
- Optimise the picking & packing operations for better order fulfillment.
- Track the status of orders.
- Manage returns & exchange.
8. Collaborating with Local Suppliers:
Start collaborating with local suppliers that have a grip on the local market. It is better if you create a balance between highly demanded and unique products to give a different experience to your customers. This will help you thrive in the market and stay ahead of your competitors. Some examples are given below.
- Collaborate with a local, seasoned farmer for fresh veggies & fruits.
- Feature local-quality clothing & apparel in your store and promote them.
- Display local suppliers on your website to help them grow.
- Host events in local areas featuring local businesses.
- Start joint marketing campaigns.
- Start niche-based skill workshops to educate the local communities.
9. Continuous Innovation & Adaptation:
Even if you’re running the best grocery store franchise in India, be ready for adaptation and innovation. They are essential for thriving in this digitally competitive market landscape. Not doing so will soon result in failure. Try installing trendy technologies to boost the customer experience.
- Develop new products or services.
- Find ways to reduce costs.
- Use AI for better recommendations.
- Use AR to offer virtual testing of any product.
- Take some examples.
- Whole Food Market
- Kroger
- Albertsons
10. Overcoming Challenges: A Reality Check
Though digital businesses are taking over the traditional ones and everyone is telling you to go online, you must understand that it doesn’t come for free. There are several challenges, such as initial investment, digital literacy, delivery logistics, maintenance, and technology costs. Talk to an expert or choose a good franchisor who helps with these techniques to overcome each of these obstacles in your online business.
Also Read: 7 Challenges to Overcome for Supermarket Home Delivery Service
Conclusion:
Digitalization is inevitable, and not adapting to the changing landscape of franchises will cost you huge losses and increase your potential risk of going bankrupt. We understand that you may not have in-depth knowledge of technology, but opting for it is necessary if you want to be the best grocery store franchise in India.
Above, we have discussed some strategies, such as adding customer experiences, personalization, and collaboration with local businesses, that are some great ways to keep yourself in demand in such a competitive market.