Why the Online Grocery Shopping is a Failed Prospect?

           Gone are the days when people walked through the market in and out to find the freshest stock of vegetables and fruits and that too at the most affordable price. Bargaining to get the best price has always been an unspoken rule practiced religiously amongst Indians. However, buying grocery online has now become one of the biggest favorite aspects of digitization in the modern era. No more keeping an hour aside for grocery buying, no more sweating and wandering through super crowded markets just to find your favorite vegetables, no more bargaining and most importantly, no more adulterated, rotten and unclean vegetables.  
           With the advent of e-grocers increasing every day, early adopters are letting go of traditional ways of food purchase and consumption. What is so convincing about it? There are a lot of determinants that contribute to the immediate adoption of this system.
1. Time-saving: 
Considered to be the biggest excuse of all time, ‘not having time’ is the topmost reason why people choose buying groceries online. Unlike the old days, the fast-moving pace of life does not permit a lot of individuals to fix an hour for a leisurely walk through the market. While people struggle to strike a balance between personal and professional life, with increasing workload and ticking clocks, this task has become the most hated for members of the family. In such circumstances, the idea of shopping groceries online is not less than a God-sent solution, and thus many glorify the praises of online purchasing.
2. Hassle-free: 
With increasing competition of earning (among the lower and middle-class people) and the sudden increase in the demand for food products (linked to the rising population), nobody ever wants to waste time in bargaining. E-grocers eliminate this problem. Selecting the item at your convenience and paying in easy terms without getting troubled by the irritating environment is the second most appealing factor that boosts the growth of online e-grocers.
3. Saving: 
Might sound unconvincing to many, yet most people swear by the savings they make through online purchasing. Since the customer deals with a bigger vendor (regarding available stock), the products are available at comparatively lower prices. Considering the amount of savings a consumer makes through a click of the mouse, not forgetting the ease by which it is done, savings are the third most important factor that increasingly contributes to the progress of such business.
4. Quick delivery and payment options: 
Apart from the online payments, the concept of cash on delivery (COD) was recently introduced in the online market business. COD is also one of the reasons that motivate people to shop who are not comfortable (do not trust) with the online payment system. Quick delivery, on the other hand, gets you through the purchase process quickly. A service that delivers quickly is always preferred.
5. Return policy: 
As Indians, we have never been comfortable with the process of shopping without of judging/ examining a product completely. However, claims that ensure the replacement of the improper/ damaged product happens to be a great comfort to us. Hence gaining trust and making the consumers more involved.
         
             To some, e-grocers could be the best solution while for few others it is not a choice at all. Known for its diversity, India has a varied culture, that leads to a different way of living and a different thought process too. While some abide strictly by this fashion (and would never deviate), some others completely reject this idea.
1. Fewer margins: 
High customer acquisition cost or the money spent to attract people into buying groceries with a click rather than a walk into a Crowded market has become the biggest issue for India’s grocery retailing industry, which already operates on super thin margins.
2. Crazy investments in marketing: 
Apart from the negative margins, grocery chains spend an enormous amount of marketing and brand endorsing. Major players such as Big Basket have invested in Bollywood actors like Shahrukh Khan, and other millions of dollars to become their brand ambassador. Brands like Grocers and PepperTap also have spent big money on marketing and advertising on various media, especially print and outdoor.
3. Discount hungry disloyal customers: 
Indian users too have become smarter. To redeem discounts,  people order groceries from different mobile numbers and avail discounts.This is a common practice amongst e-tailers that offer 20 percent discount only on first purchase, usually connected to a mobile number. The discount-hungry Indian customers disperse as soon as the schemes stop.
4. Inability to receive delivery: 
Grocery s something for which you cannot wait. In the morning, most of the people are in the rush as they want to be on time whereas they work until around 8 pm. So going home and waiting for deliveries is not a feasible option for many. Also, on the other hand, getting the groceries delivered in office and carrying big and cumbersome baskets while traveling way back home is also not a preferable option.
5. Preference lists don't work: 
The online grocers try to sell the items on the recurring basis. Making recommendation for gadgets and clothes on an e-commerce website is far different than making recommendations on the online grocery shop. Purchase decisions while buying small things like groceries are made by the current market value of a particular vegetable, their current appetites or merely a whim.
         
So, what can we conclude from this assessment? We are living in the era of digitalization where we are practically attached to our cell phones and connected with the world 24x7. Sooner or later, the online grocery market giants will come up with new ideas, technologies and marketing strategies to compel buyers to buy their groceries online.  The omnichannel retailing and premium hypermarkets can reach our their customers directly across online and offline channels.