Did you just open your fridge and groan at having forgotten to make a quick dash to the supermarket to stock up on groceries? It’s the weekend which means that it’s a fight to death amid the mad rush of working couples who leave the shopping chore to these two days. For many, grocery shopping is no longer the casual saunter through aisles of products; it’s a maddening hassle which includes navigating the weekend traffic, waiting in never-ending lines at the billing counter and lugging those heavy bags all the way back to your transport and then home.
Well, for all you folks who dread this, here’s what three Hyderabadi’s have to offer: online supermarkets. With features like creating a shopping list to creating the virtual version to a shopping cart, these portals promise to make grocery shopping stress-free, and possible from the comfort of your home. And what’s best is that they deliver at your doorstep!
Easymandi
Easymandi came into existence in April 2013 when Ajay Kumar K felt the need for online stores exclusively for groceries and supermarket products. “After working for 16 years in sales and distribution with big labels like Dabur, Cadbury and Airtel, I wanted to get into the business. The best I could come up with was the online grocery store. Looking at the scenario of Hyderabad’s traffic and hectic work schedule, I realised it was nearly impossible to manage time to go to a supermarket,” explains the CEO of the birth of Easymandi.
An IIM pass-out, he also realised the one-stop-shop facility that an online portal would afford would be a huge winner with the many software employees in the city. “The first thought in my mind was to make the idea of grocery shopping convenient for consumers by making everything available and offering them door-to-door delivery service with the freedom to choose the delivery slots.
Also, online shopping reduces the habit of impulsive shopping, where you go to supermarket to buy something you need but end up buying unnecessary products as well,” points out Ajay.
As many as 10,000 products are available on the website that includes groceries, fruits, vegetables, confectionery products and all FMCG products. Plans are on to add meat products as well. Drawing a comparison with retail outlets/supermarkets, Ajay says, “We have designed the online store in the simplest way possible where anyone can shop. We have arranged our products as such that one won’t find it difficult to find anything. Also our prices are very low especially in terms of fruits and vegetables. Currently, we have discount on 1,000 products.”
Features like ‘deal of the day’ with high discounts and easylist also make the shopping experience better. “As per the season, we include products in our deal of the day section. Right now, we are selling a dozen oranges for just `11. Also we have an option of preparing the list of products one needs using our ‘easylist option’. No need of paper and pen, you just need to add products, specify quantity, finalise the list, choose the mode of payment, a delivery slot and move to the check-out section,” explains the 36-year-old. If you are unsatisfied with the service or have a query, a contact number of a customer care executive is also available. “We always deliver the best products but sometimes if the customer is not satisfied we make sure to either replace the product or refund the money. Afterall, customer is the judge,” shares Ajay. In the coming future, Easymandi will be launching a mobile application as well, besides planning to expand to other cities like Vizag and Pune. At the moment, Easymandi fields 30 orders a day, catering to Secunderabad and Hyderabad with a nominal fee of `25 on an order value less than `999.
Details: easymandi.com
My Mega
Super Market
With the motto of ‘We deliver your expectations’, My Mega Super Market was launched in June 2013. The online grocery store was a start-up by 32-year-old Vishal Sharma who studied and worked in the United Kingdom for a while.
“I saw Flipkart, Jabong and other online stores, but no one had targeted grocery and supermarket products. Since I hate going to supermarkets where you have to wait in long queues, waste fuel and time, give hours of driving in Hyderabad’s traffic and inhale polluted air, I thought this would be a great opportunity to make life better for people like me,” he shares.
Delivering to the twin cities, My Mega Super Market charges `30 on an order value of less than `1,000. They attempt to deliver within 24 hours of the order being placed, but if a customer places an order between 10 and 11 am, then chances are you’ll receive your goods the same evening. From fruits and vegetables, cereals and oils, beverages and bakery products to other household essentials, it’s a mega market all right. But what sets them apart is the pharmacy section.
“We haven’t listed any medicines under the pharmacy section but we do provide them. However, customers have to send their prescription via mail and then we deliver them after proper verification is done,” Vishal explains, adding that the target customer groups are working couples, working mothers and elderly people. Special offers are also available for customers. “For instance, we now have a `100 discount on an order worth `2,000. Also, we have special combo packs which are cheaper than buying individual products,” the entrepreneur informs. So where do they source products from? “We buy products especially fruits and vegetables on a daily basis from private vendors to minimise wastage. And we take care of the packaging so that customers get fresh products. Sometimes, if they complain, we try our best to replace them and provide them with better options.”
Like any good business, My Mega Market has plans of expansion in cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru, but for now, Vishal is content on concentrating on just Hyderabad.
For those who are not tech-savvy, My Mega Super Market also provides the option of placing the order via phone.
Details: mymegasupermarket.com; +91 97013 34143;
info@mymegasupermarket.com
ABigmart
While Vishal and Ajay represent the new breed of businessmen, Nandha Kishore was old school. Owner of a small grocery store in Saidabad, he realised the change in times and decided to take his business to the next higher level this February when launched his online grocery store. “I have a grocery store in Hyderabad through which I met some customers who used to complain about the hours of travelling and spending huge amount of money and fuel to go shopping. That’s what prompted me to start Abigmart.in,” shares Kishore.
With over 10,000 products from several brands, Kishore’s store includes fresh fruits, vegetables, rice, lentils, spices, seasonings, packaged products and personal care. “Other than regular grocery products, we also have a separate section for pooja items and herbal/ayurvedic products,” shares Kishore.
To shop at the store though, one has to make a minimum purchase of `1,500 for free delivery, otherwise additional charges are to be paid which depends on the distance. In terms of discounts and offers on products, he explains, “We give three per cent discount on the market retail price (MRP) for some products. We have offers like buy-one-get-one-free and combo packages.”
On the growing scenario of online grocery stores in the city, Kishore believes in healthy competition. “I know there is a lot of competition in market, but it shouldn’t interfere with the business. All I am concerned is to deliver quality products and serve the customers well,” he states.
Abigmart plans on adding varieties of seafood as well to their list of products by January 2014.
Details: abigmart.in