MOM & POP STORES Go Online: Emerging Brand Economy Forces Indian Retail Space to Modernise

Increasingly, the LRF and Modern Retail Formats (MRF) have been supplying food and groceries with orders being placed by consumers through the net. These formats have been burgeoning with many consumers shifting their purchases on a regular basis to large retail stores. In a sense, they were the pioneers who took recourse to Information Technology (IT) for affecting supplies.

 

The brand economy has been gradually gaining roots in the metros and some bigger towns. Entry of new brands, availability of wider range of products and new-age shopping experience are slowly drawing consumers towards supermarkets, a recent report by Technopak, a consultancy firm, said.

 

‘Aaramshop’ – the online Kirana Store

 

According to The India Food and Grocery Shopping Trends 2008, consumers spending is as high as 36 per cent on food and grocery vis-a-vis other household expenses. The Kirana store learning the value of online supplies was triggered by the introduction of a new platform 'AaramShop' in parts of the capital. Explaining the concept of 'AaramShop', its MD and CEO, Vijay Singh, says: "AaramShop.com is a hybrid online retail platform that is completely focused on marketing of essentials like FMCG and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands. 'AaramShop' focuses on transforming the current consumer behaviour of casual web browsing to an engaging behaviour of brand purchase.

 

AaramShop, a technology led solution, is a fully integrated first mile to last mile solution. Its last-mile is completed by the independent neighbourhood retail stores, normally referred to as 'kirana' stores." In simple terms, the consumer can log on to the platform using their facebook accounts and other social networking sites and then shop for the products and brands they wish to buy. They can then choose their nearby Kirana Store from the listing and specify their preferred time of the delivery. This 'kiranawala' would be informed about the order and it would be delivered at the doorstep at the time mentioned, of course at no extra cost.

 

Saurabh Shrivastava, Vice President, Channel Engagement, AaramShop, says, "the traditional retailer has the reach and access to the customers. He, however, lacks the sophistication and grandeur of large retailers like that of Big Bazaars. This has clearly affected their customer base; wherein the sophisticated and lifestyle conscious customer is increasingly doing his monthly shopping at the modern trade and only doing their top-up or emergency shopping at the kirana store."

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