Strengthening the curiosity and enthusiasm of a large number of entrepreneurs who have been on the lookout for something that can make them stand out, hyperlocal eCommerce business has served the purpose. Many companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Grofers are serving regionally or locally for the past few years. But the Hyperlocal Business concept is roaring after COVID 19 outbreak.
What is Hyperlocal?
There is a small difference between hyperlocal and eCommerce. Hyperlocal businesses are the one who serves in the nearby vicinity and eCommerce businesses have a large network of the national or international market. Hyperlocal is often used only to describe delivery businesses or on-demand services. Entrepreneurs are switching to hyperlocal as it allows consumers to place generic orders, sending parcels from one location in the city to the other, food, groceries, household essentials, or even medicines. This transition will open the doors for small businesses to enter the digital world.
Why go Hyperlocal?
A unique advantage of Hyperlocal eCommerce is that their whole supply chain is situated next to both the buyer and the seller. As a consequence, the vendors themselves are retailers or smaller traders. A hyperlocal business platform allows local offline businesses to reach out to their targeted customers confirming product delivery within a very short time.
The challenge for an eCommerce can be an advantage to hyperlocal Businesses
- eCommerce often faces a challenge of on-time delivery but with a Hyperlocal business, the same product can be delivered within a few hours. Customer doesn’t have to wait for days but he/she can use a Hyperlocal business platform for getting it immediately.
- Trusting online eCommerce websites is a matter of concern and it leads to many frauds. But with an eCommerce, the chances of fraud are least.
Challenges faced by Hyperlocal businesses:
You might have heard that many Hyperlocal businesses got shut within a few years of their journey. There are multiple challenges faced by a Hyperlocal business while going through this transition.
– Area of operation
Starting in cities that are not yet technologically wired and most of the population is not used to buying stuff online, the primary option for hyperlocal business cannot, of course, be the right choice.
–Brick and mortar stores
People still prefer buying groceries themselves as they do not trust the quality of online products. Buying fresh fruits and vegetable from a market is an old practice which will take time to change.
– Cutthroat competition
The hyperlocal businesses have to compete with well-established eCommerce enterprises as they trying to reach out on three tires for grocery and other such services.
What is the Solution for Hyperlocal Business problems?
The solution to these challenges is by adopting a strategic path to reach your targeted customers and providing them a better customer experience. COVID-19 outbreak brought the new trend to go local and now businesses are trying to expand their networks digitally. People in three- tire cities are opting for online shopping, even for groceries.
Many Digital Solution Companies are providing various user-friendly applications that can help local entrepreneurs to go Hyperlocal.
- A dynamic website: A Hyperlocal business owner can ask a developer for a well-versed website where the customer will find all the products listed to it.
- Store locator and Pickup services: A website where customers can place orders and pick a delivery time or pickup timings. The owner who intends to switch to hyperlocal business can incorporate a module for the online users to find the nearest store and pick up the product from the store. Many stores have different outlets. With the module installed in your eCommerce store, you can allow the customer to choose the nearby store to pick up the order. Knowband provides a store locator and pickup module for many eCommerce platforms.
- Product availability check by zip code: This module can help the customer to check the availability of a product in an online store. Customers can check the availability of the products in any particular area just by entering the zip code, this way owner can restrict the customer in one region.
- Mobile responsive or a mobile application- Being an eCommerce store owner you must ensure that your website is mobile responsive or you can build an app for the same. Now you can install a mobile app builder plugin and make your website mobile responsive.
- Tie-ups with other local vendors: You can make tie-ups with other store owners. This will help you fulfill the customer demands on time and you can generate more revenue.
Go Local with Hyperlocal:
Going Hyperlocal is the need of the hour. This will bridge the gap between the online and offline market. The availability of a Geolocation database can help you in targeting the right customers. With Hyperlocal business, entrepreneurs can focus on customer-centric models by controlling quality and inventory. With minimum efforts, larger goals can be achieved. The hyperlocal business owner can run all the operations on smartphones with very few efforts as compared to a physical store.
Conclusion:
Given the limited geographic distribution of the hyperlocal industry, marketing investment is typically very effective as there is little waste and Word of mouth will spread quickly.
Visit Knowband Shop for eCommerce solutions. Our enthusiastic team will be glad to provide solutions to your problems.
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