TechMag
The concept of indoor shopping area was alien to Pakistanis when mega malls and superstores were not built. Customers selecting and buying the products of their choice, and walking down the aisle to pick items from the shelf was a luxury of the privileged ones. Before the elite idea of shopping people used to buy groceries from Kiryana Stores. You may still find those stores in your locality with the name “Parchun ki Dukan” or “General Store” if you look around. Traditionally, and in an open market system, this is a common practice.
But time has changed since the dawn of the digitally connected world. The evolving landscape of grocery shopping teaches us that valuable insights are crucial for technological advancement for Pakistan’s e-commerce. Since one cannot accurately predict the future due to its continually changing nature, we can record its change pace.
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Online Grocery shopping is growing at a faster pace all over the world
We all are aware of how technology has made sweeping changes in every field of study, be it medicine, arts, arms, or infrastructure. The same is the case with the e-commerce and grocery industry.
According to the Online Grocery Report, published by Business Insider Intelligence, the pandemic has shifted the consumers’ shopping behavior. Since the spread of COVID, people have moved towards buying products online, which also increases the online grocery shopping at an unprecedented level, especially for the retailer. Whereas, “Digitally ecommerce360’’asserts that online sales grew 76% in the USA alone.
The collaboration of e-commerce related businesses has taken retail enterprises to the next level. It leads the entrepreneurs and business people alike to find out the loopholes and bridge those existing gaps, providing a more focused, user-friendly experience for the convenience of their customers. In return, their sales markup increases, making the purchases safer online, and delivering the grocery with contactless pick-ups.
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For igniting the grocery industry’s potential in Pakistan, kudos to the superstores like Imtiyaz, Naheed, or Chase and Mega Mall like Dolmen. Unquestionably, they have shaped the new outlook and strengthen the foundations for retailers and bulk buying customers.
But now our digital age has affected consumers’ shopping behavior. A product’s price is no longer the sole reason to buy the product; the varied product assortments combined with a shopping experience that focuses on consumer safety, security, and convenience with entertainment has far more influence on the consumer’s decision.
Also, the recent health crisis has played a significant role in the retail and grocery landscape, including e-commerce businesses. So naturally, there is a link between e-commerce and grocery, which cannot be overlooked.
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Adaptation of International E-commerce Business Model in Pakistan
Among many great online grocery stores, few have made an exception. They aim to strengthen the existing e-grocery industry capable of handling e e-commerce and end-to-end shopping services, such as Instacart, Amazon, Happy Fresh, Shipt. What makes them different from the crowd is that they are willing to work on new ideas that haven’t been fully appreciated, i.e., willingness to gather all the existing grocers under a digital marketplace.
Similarly, realizing the system’s gap, there is an online grocery store in Karachi that aims to feature all the qualities that are often ignored in physical shopping, such as ease, accessibility, and safety for the masses.
The full potential of online grocery shopping is yet to be explored more in Pakistan as it is wide open and in its nascent stages. Despite the infrastructure limitation, Grocery Basket aims to converge physical and online stores into a single roof, providing a complementary solution to brick-and-mortar grocery and online retailing stores in Karachi.
Grocery Basket is one of its kind, working hard to meet the international standards, and pursuing to evolve the grocery industry in Pakistan with ease of shopping and varied product mix choices. This online grocery store in Karachi promotes local marts through its platform. Their unique idea aims to provide one mega roof like Instacart and Amazon, where you can buy products of your choice from your favorite stores.
Uplifting the local retailers and local brands is undoubtedly a breakthrough in the grocery industry, contributing to the global economy. Regardless of any geographical location, it has a positive impact on economic growth. In Pakistan’s case, it will be Pakistan’s economy that will be strengthened.
Product price to Consumer Interest Approach
Apart from the customer-centered approach, many independent grocers are now tilting towards delivering products at home. This buying and selling online is often equated with online grocery solutions by novice grocers. This may be perceived as a golden time opportunity, but failing to deliver the promise will create problems for the customers and mistrust in the longer run.
For example, Instacart is an American wholesale grocers company with e-commerce services. They make sure that the products are delivered on the same day to customers, collaborating with more than 3,000 independent grocers.
Wrap up
It would be a mistake to mention the evolving landscape of online grocery stores and not recognize the growing online and physical shopping debate. Generally, people fall into two camps when it comes to the e-commerce industry concerning grocery shopping. One side of the camp believes that it is only a matter of time when people return to face-to-face shopping since physical shopping is irreplaceable. While the other side of the camp firmly holds a strong opinion that online grocery will take over to create a more significant impact on online grocery shopping.
To conclude, for sure, people have a basic need for grocery and other house-hold items to continue living. Grocery is one of the things that will not change as long as people are alive, their choices may differ, but they will continue to shop. The only thing that is subjected to change is how and where people shop. Those who can read into the consumer’s changing needs, who can predict the future market trends, have the upper hand and success for life.
Author Bio:
RidaeBatool is a linguist and a writer. She values innovation and advancement and wants to keep her audience engaged with insightful content. She is a curious individual who loves to write on tech, business, and other topics to share knowledge and valuable information.
