Have you tried buying grocery online? 

Written by Vidya Kumar

June 26, 2014

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Online grocery shopping is becoming increasingly popular, especially in large cities. BigBasket.com, EkStop.com, LocalBanya.com, AaramShop.com, AtMyDoorSteps.com, MyGrahak.in, Zopnow.com and NaturesBasket.com are some popular portals. Websites offer discounts and reward points and deliver as per the convenience of the customer. Online grocery shopping offers the convenience of sitting at home and shopping.

With the growing popularity of the Internet and online shopping, it was just a matter of time before grocery and household items purchases entered this space. Today, there are several online stores retailing groceries, fruits, vegetables and other household items. The operations of players are usually restricted to one or a few cities in the country.
E-Retailers either deal in a specialised/ single product line or are supermarkets dealing with several products. General E-Commerce portals like HomeShop 18, IndiaPlaza.com and Infibeam also deal in grocery products. Then there are standalone retailers like NaturesBasket which offers online grocery shopping. There are different formats of operations. Online grocery business is fast picking up, with entrepreneurs seeing a huge opportunity in this space. 

Here are some options for online purchase of grocery:

BigBasket.com: This online portal currently operates in Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad and boasts of 10,000 products and 1,000 brands on display. In addition to food items ranging across fruits, vegetables, rice, dal, spices, sweets, meat and oils, you can also order personal care and household items on BigBasket. Orders can be placed on their website or by downloading the app on your mobile. There is free delivery for orders above Rs. 1,000. Payment options include cash on delivery, credit cards and Sodexho coupons. The customer can choose from 4 delivery time slots throughout the day. 

EkStop.comEkStop is an E-Commerce, phone commerce and call centre retailer in Mumbai, delivering products related to personal care, baby care, groceries, household supplies, health care and stationery. Delivery can be within 1 to 4 hours, with option to schedule delivery. There is no minimum amount restriction and delivery is free. Payment is through debit/credit cards, netbanking and cash on delivery. You can track expenses, manage your order and create order lists to enable quick shopping. There is a loyalty program in place, which can get you cash back offers after a period of time.

LocalBanya.comEstablished in 2012, LocalBanya caters to the Mumbai market and offers fruits, vegetables, personal care products, groceries and household products. You can order online and also save your lists to save time on shopping. There are six time slots to choose for delivery between 7am and 12am. Although the minimum order worth should be Rs. 500, there is free delivery. Same day delivery comes at an extra charge of Rs. 30. You earn Banya points every time you shop, which can be redeemed in your next visit.

AaramShop.comThis is a hybrid retail shop, where you can order your needs online, but the delivery will be made from a local grocery shop with which AaramShop has a tie up. This partnering is facilitated when the customer chooses a retailer from where the delivery is done. Discounts are given based on the retailer and not from AaramShop’s end. Payment terms are also at the discretion of the retailer. The operations are currently in 35 cities in India. However, the retailer network within the city is concentrated in certain pockets only. Also, as most of the terms are decided by the retailer you choose, there is a risk of losing out of discounts, etc if you opt for the wrong retailer.

AtMyDoorSteps.com: This portal again delivers a whole range of fruits, vegetables, groceries and household items. Currently operational in Bangalore, AtMyDoorSteps has a returns policy and also offers reward points on shopping. You can either pay by cash or card at the time of delivery, online payment or payment by food coupons. There are offers and discounts introduced from time to time. You can get same day delivery if the order is placed before 1pm.

Other regional online grocery shops include MyGrahak.in (operating in Delhi/NCR regions) and ZopNow.com (operating in South and East Bangalore). 

Here is a quick comparison of some prominent online grocery stores:

Disclaimer: The above is an independent analysis, with information sourced from various portals. Getting You Rich or the author has no personal interest in any of the websites mentioned above.


This article was originally published on Moneycontrol.
The author can be reached at [email protected]

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