How Can An Online Vegetable Store Sprout Up Amid COVID-19?

Who would have thought one day we would be selling and buying vegetables online? Well, that day is already here and buying vegetables online is a common thing, in fact, a routine now. But, has COVID-19 affected this business? Is the current online vegetable shopping just a phase that will pass post-COVID or will it stay?

Today, millennials value time more than anything in their lives because all they lack is time due to their hectic jobs, routine, and packed weekends. In an age of high-speed technology, they want everything just at the tap of their finger. Within a click, banking transactions, online shopping, online office meetings and so many things are happening without our need to step out of the house, unlike before, when you had to visit from door-to-door to get all that you want.

Grocery shopping then and now

A few years back, the only weekend routine for people was going to market to fill up their monthly groceries and vegetables but, thanks to the technology and emergence of eCommerce this has stopped. With the rise of the trend of online vegetable stores, shopping them has become a random thing, and does not consume the weekend anymore.

Impact of COVID-19 on the sale of vegetables

The deadly pandemic locked us all inside our homes for months, and both offline and online businesses came to a halt. Since vegetables fell into the category of essentials, they were available but for a few hours and in a limit. There, online vegetable stores came into limelight, and people were relieved. The outbreak and lockdown proved that the buying andselling of vegetables online is the best way to keep the business going while maintaining social distancing and providing customers with what they want sitting at the comfort of their home.

The pandemic also taught us how important it is to stay fit and healthy and essential items like; vegetable selling can never go down. So, if you are thinking of getting quirky and really want to catch the Millennial trend, then gear up and sell organic vegetables online. Here are a few tips for how to develop an online vegetable store during the pandemic.

1. Decide Target Audience :

Buying vegetables and groceries is a hectic task, but most of the older generation enjoy it. In the era of online shopping, they still prefer going to markets to check out products, negotiate and buy vegetables, meet people etc. But for Millenials, time is everything. They do not want to waste their time behind routine tasks like buying vegetables, and hence; it is very crucial to decide your target area first. Target the youth and tech-savvy people who are super busy as they will be more than happy to buy things online and get doorstep delivery.

2. Decide the Categories and Items :

Inventory is a very important part of such business especially when you are selling online. The customer needs variety and colours in their food. Try to categorize vegetables into different areas, like leafy vegetables, spices, roots, salad dressings etc. Such categories will make the selection easy, and the customer will love the ease with which they can shop in a specific category by saving much of their time.

3 .Decide the Region :

Selecting a region is a very crucial part of going online. How far can you deliver and how better you can reach matters. To identify the area where your target audience lives, their acceptance towards your online vegetable store is an important factor. Once the region is decided, to set up a timely delivery is also a point to be considered. Hence, begin with choosing the right region, and then you can expand.

4. Select a Suitable Platform :

Remember, the success of your online vegetable store majorly depends on how it is developed; therefore, selecting the platform for it is like deciding a fate for it. There are multiple options to sell vegetable online like you can develop an online vegetable store of yours, make a mobile app for the same, or partner with an eCommerce platform selling groceries and vegetables. No matter what way you choose, make sure to get it developed at the hands of an expert online vegetable store builder also who will help you out it deciding which platform and tech stack will suit you best according to your requirements.

5. Include all Necessary Features :

People are alreadyselling vegetable onlineand to stand out, your online vegetable store must have all necessary features like – easy search and filtering option, multiple payments or you can create your own wallet for the ease of use, real-time order tracking, quick reorder and repeat order, monthly shopping list reminder, delivery schedules etc. Also, don’t forget to make your online vegetable store rich in UI/UX, navigation, content, and ease of use.

6. Delivery Options :

Decide on how faster you can deliver. Vegetables are daily needs, and so ideally the delivery will be expected faster by the customers as compared to other grocery items. Set up different frequencies for deliveries like every day, alternate day, once a week, etc. so that people can subscribe and relax. Also, provide an option of contactless delivery due to the current situation as that will be more convenient for many customers.

7. Plans and Pricing :

Vegetable prices are like ebb and tide. They keep rising and falling, and so you have to decide at what price you will be offering vegetables to your customers. Watch your competitors as big e-commerce platforms often offer huge discounts due to their wide network and reach. Therefore, being a new entrant, it will be difficult for you to match their prices and earn profits but work upon affordable pricing at the same time maintain quality and freshness too. Make customers aware of the freshness of the vegetables as once you gain their trust, your customers won’t mind paying more for quality veggies. Include schemes like refer and earn that will motivate the customer to recommend your store to friends and families and thus help you increase your business.

8. Marketing :

Once you are online, marketing is the next big thing that comes into the picture. You have to make your customers aware of your existence. Shout out about your app or website on all possible platforms, run a social media campaign, offer discounts and coupons for making customers aware of your online store. Gather customer reviews and feedback. Post testimonials. Also, show how you are following safety standards and hygiene even in the storage and managing the inventory that will gain more trust among the buyers because of the Covid-19 situation.

To Conclude 

With the increase in nuclear family systems and more women working full time, online vegetable and grocery shopping have greatly increased since a few years now. Since it is evident that an online vegetable store is a boon to today’s generation who do not get time to rush to markets to shop for their essential needs, selling vegetables online can prove to be fruitful by choosing the rightonline vegetable store app builderor you can approach to the grocery delivery app builder who can develop your online solution with best features that will help you survive through the pandemic and thereafter and make your business successful in the long run.