In the current scenario, when everything seems to be moving online, the consumer is getting habitual of online grocery shopping as well. Recently, we all witnessed how the rise of online grocery shopping was fueled amidst the stay-at-home orders.

According to FMI and Nielson, “By 2025, it’s predicted that online food and beverage sales will reach $143 billion.”

The younger generations have been the most important drivers of eGrocery but, situations like COVID-19 outbreak have encouraged older generations to adopt this form of grocery shopping.

On-demand grocery shopping apps like Cornershop, Instacart, Shipt, etc have evolved the online grocery industry. Features like order tracking, cart sharing, Click and Collect (BOPIS), quick delivery options, recommendations make grocery shopping even more convenient.

Launching a Grocery Hyperlocal Marketplace Platform in 2020 can give a kick-start to your entrepreneurial journey. The most successful online grocery businesses are working on the hyperlocal delivery model. For instance, Cornershop — this grocery marketplace creates a local online ecosystem through which people can have access to the nearest grocery shops. The focused area of a hyperlocal grocery store is to provide rocket-speed delivery to the customer.

Keep reading if you are eager to learn more about Cornershop! We will be further exploring the ways to set-up a hyperlocal grocery delivery store similar to Cornershop.

How does Cornershop work?

Cornershop provides you with a quick and easy way to shop groceries through their website and mobile app. The primary stakeholders of this marketplace are,

  • Grocery Marketplace
  • Buyer
  • Seller/Vendor
  • Shopper

Let’s take a look at the buyer’s journey to understand the overall process of this online grocery marketplace:

Step 1 | Choosing a Grocery Store

The very first step is to enter the delivery location, based on what a list of nearby stores will appear. The buyer can choose from the listed stores and place orders from multiple stores as well.

Step 2 | Loading The Cart

The buyer can either browse by the aisle or use the search option to find the desired grocery products. They can add multiple products from different stores.

Step 3 | Making Payment

Buyers can choose from Credit/Debit Card and PayPal to add a payment method and proceed with the checkout process. They can also earn credits and redeem special discount codes.

Cornershop does not apply for in-store promotions but the buyer can get access to special promotions on the platform only.

Step 4 | Getting Order Delivered

A personal shopper is assigned for the order after the payment has been done. These shoppers are specially trained to pick the products with care and deliver in 1 hour, or the buyer can schedule the delivery for later.

Let’s go through the brief journey of Cornerstore with the help of the following infographic:

Cornershop’s Journey

Revenue Streams of an Online Grocery Business

There are many ways through which you can make money from your hyperlocal grocery business like Cornershop,

  1. Subscription — This is the primary and most important revenue stream for an online grocery marketplace. You can charge a monthly or yearly membership fee from the customer while keeping in mind the profit margin.
  2. Delivery Fee — Just like other grocery marketplaces, you can also charge a delivery fee from the customer for every order. The delivery charges may vary based on the subscription plans and their terms.
  3. Banner Advertising — You can also earn by advertising different brands or listed products on your grocery marketplace. These brands will pay charges for displaying their advertisements on your website/app.
  4. Featured Listing: An online grocery marketplace can host numerous grocery products and vendors. Sellers who want their products to stand out, they can pay to get their grocery products to appear in the featured section of the website.

What Makes Cornershop Different?

Ever wondered why Cornershop got enormous amounts of fundings from the investors? Here I am listing the answer to your question.

  1. Fast Delivery: The hyperlocal delivery model of Cornershop is its biggest USP as it enables them to deliver the groceries within an hour.
  2. Empowering Local Grocers: A business like Cornershop can create numerous opportunities for the local grocers. The grocery marketplace allows the vendors (local grocers) to register themselves and start selling groceries online. This way they are empowering them!
    Simultaneously, Cornershop is also known for collaborating with the largest grocers in Chile and Mexico.
  3. Top Quality: According to some industry sources, the product selection done by shoppers at Cornerstore is much better than their competitors.
  4. Cornershop Pop: It is an annual subscription that gives the buyer access to exclusive promotions. Unlimited free deliveries on orders over $40 and a reduced delivery fee of $4.90 on orders under $40 are what they get for the annual cost of $99.
  5. No Tips for Shoppers: Cornershop does not provide the buyers with an option to pay tips to the shoppers. They believe it is their responsibility, not customer’s, to provide fair wages to their staff.
    The shoppers also get many opportunities to earn bonuses at Cornershop.
  6. Expanding Globally: Cornershop is present in Mexico, Brasil, Canada, United States, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru. After getting integrated with Uber, they are planning to expand further.
    Recently they announced the official launch of operations in Miami and Dallas.

How to Launch a Grocery Marketplace like Cornershop?

You can build a eGrocery app and website similar to Cornershop with the help of a Grocery Hyperlocal Marketplace Solution.

Before we unfold the secrets of the ultimate solution, let’s understand what all you would need to operate an online grocery shopping and delivery business,

  • Online Grocery Website
  • Grocery Mobile App for Buyers
  • Grocery Mobile App for Shoppers/Delivery Staff

Must-have features of a hyperlocal grocery shopping and delivery marketplace:

  1. Hassle-Free Registration: The registration process for the buyers as well as the shoppers/delivery staff should be quick and hassle-free. Social media login is one of the most effective ways to enable easy registration.
  2. Product Listing: It is an essential feature of an online grocery website. The admin should be able to add products by using the product catalogue feature. Additionally, there must be an option to add products in bulk using the export/import feature.
  3. Product/Category Search: Search is the most generic yet important feature of any eCommerce website. It offers convenience to the customer as they can easily land to a specific product or product category without roaming through all the categories.
  4. Order Tracking: Real-time tracking using GPS is a must-have feature in the grocery app. From the dispatch to the estimated time for delivery, real-time tracking helps users know the status of their order.
  5. Delivery Schedule: At times like COVID-19, when the supply chain is disrupted, buyers can use this feature effectively. They can schedule the delivery of the order as per their convenience.
  6. Click and Collect: Just like scheduling the delivery, the buyers should also be provided with an option for self pick-up. This option enables the users to experience the convenience of online shopping and satisfaction of offline shopping at the same time.
  7. Repeat Order: This feature is a must because it enables the buyers to reorder previously ordered items in a single click. This feature is a time saver for sure!
  8. Multiple Payment Options: Right from credit/debit cards to PayPal to digital wallets, an online grocery marketplace should ensure full convenience to buyers with easy and secure payment options.

There are many more features like Multilingual Functionality, Rewards & Discounts, etc., that should be integrated into your hyperlocal grocery marketplace similar to Cornershop. You can review all the remaining features here.

The Perfect Grocery Hyperlocal Marketplace Solution

Depending on your technical capabilities, financial resources and other business requirements, it is important to choose a grocery hyperlocal marketplace software that fits you the best.

Growcer by FATbit Technologies is such a script that will provide tailored solutions to your business needs. This solution is built exclusively to meet online grocery marketplace requirements.

Growcer’s clientele comprises of the following online grocery stores across the globe,

Originally published at https://medium.com/growcer-ecommerce-grocery-software/your-guide-to-launching-a-grocery-business-like-cornershop-9c1f52bfcee5