Hyperlocal ecommerce- Going hammer and tongs

“The concept of hyperlocal ecommerce is a novel but fascinating one. It has lately caught the attention of various stakeholders. It has enabled businesses and has been going steadily good with all the energy and enthusiasm intact.”

Introduction

Hyperlocal ecommerce has been highly disruptive. It has been enabling too. Yes! Hyperlocal ecommerce has enabled businesses to become strong, hopeful and expeditious in their approach. Having received a warm embrace from businesses and customers worldwide, hyperlocal ecommerce is getting steadily adopted by them. This has set the stage and pace for the growth of hyperlocal ecommerce. Moreover, technology has also aided the hyperlocal businesses tremendously. During the pandemic induced circumstances, when businesses came at a standstill, it was hyperlocal ecommerce delivery software that lent support to aspiring businesses and enabled them to rethink and reinvent their operations and logistics so as to extend delightful experiences to the customers.

Hyperlocal ecommerce- The prevailing scenario

Hyperlocal ecommerce has caught everybody’s attention in the years gone by. Attribute it to its phenomenal speed of delivery or the effective management of logistical operations and supply chain, hyperlocal ecommerce has stood the test of times and now it is going hammer and tongs in the industry. It’s growing enormity is symbolic of the fact that it has grown by leaps and bounds in the recent past. Most of the growth so witnessed, now comes from the leading metro cities of developing countries.

The number of niche brands in the hyperlocal space across categories like home decor and services, groceries, household essentials and pharmaceutical sectors, has seen a rise, says a WATConsult report. Traditional brands have shifted their focus towards hyperlocal and direct-to-consumer business models. This transition has been accelerated further due to increased internet usage and evolved consumer behavior.

The simultaneous penetration of internet and evolution of consumer behavior has compelled businesses to explore ways to become more efficient and impactful. This is where the coming into being of hyperlocal ecommerce delivery software firms make sense. The need for such on-demand software and apps was direly felt by the global consumers soon after the outbreak of the pandemic. Forced to get quarantined, businesses and consumers had no one but hyperlocal ecommerce delivery software partners to ease their sufferings of buying and selling. Where on one hand, businesses found a viable model cum platform to reach out to a large target market in as little time as possible, on the other hand, consumers too liked the concept of availing instant, convenient and contactless deliveries through the hyperlocal model.

In the previous few years and more so after the outbreak of the pandemic, hyperlocal ecommerce has stepped up the game and has penetrated several households. Be they food, groceries, home essentials, medicines or anything that can be delivered through the hyperlocal model, customers are all in for it. They have been happily ordering things online through on-demand delivery apps and making the most of the hyperlocal times. All in all, customers have been enjoying the hyperlocal experience so far.

Reasons why hyperlocal ecommerce has become a hit among the modern-day customers

When it comes to hyperlocal ecommerce or on-demand deliveries, customers of today are the happiest of them all. And why not? They get everything delivered to their doorsteps just at few clicks and taps.

Below listed are some of the major ways through which hyperlocal spaces provide high-end experiences to the customers thereby leaving them highly satisfied and looking forward to more hyperlocal ecommerce deliveries. Have a look.

• Hyperlocal ecommerce marketplaces ensure a real-time physical store visit experience to the consumers at their convenience.

• In hyperlocal ecommerce, the customers have an option to choose from a wide variety of offerings provided by multiple sellers via the hyperlocal marketplaces and can purchase by choosing one of the various payment modes.

• Consumers can buy products at affordable prices that too as per their convenience.

• Hyperlocal ecommerce provides brilliant doorstep delivery solutions to the customers and surpasses all geographical barriers to ensure that the product is delivered within a few hours and often in a few minutes.

• With hyperlocal ecommerce spaces, customers can look, touch, feel and try the product at the nearby retail store if they wish to.

• The proximity to the physical store also paves the way for instant and smooth customer grievance resolution.

• However, if the consumers don’t wish to visit the store physically, then they have an option of scouting through the options available online and place an order for home delivery of products.

• Hyperlocal e-commerce is always equipped with sufficient manpower and strategies to provide smooth and quick delivery to the buyers.

• They have an edge over the physical stores as they offer huge discounts, run promotional offers, and provide rebates on certain products which lure the customers to prefer them over other shopping methods.

• Customers can track their orders in real time. In fact, the contemporary consumers like this level of transparency and convenience of on-demand delivery apps where they can keep note of where their order has reached. Live order tracking feature has attracted several customers in the recent past.

• Hyperlocal ecommerce delivery software and apps also provide the convenience of signing up as easily as possibly. Yes! A simple sign-up feature helps gain customers’ attention.

• Location based search is yet another feature offered by such apps that enables customers to narrow down their area of search and make it easier for them to figure out the products that are deliverable to their location. This helps them save time and effort and prevents them from focusing on products that just cannot be delivered to them.

In a nutshell, hyperlocal ecommerce focuses on the delivery, quality, and variety of products and just about tremendously caters to the evolving needs of the contemporary consumers. From the business perspective, investing in hyperlocal ecommerce markets helps brands add value to their image in the market and increase their customer base. It also enables them to enhance their services and run their operations seamlessly along with fulfilling the customer’s needs and preferences.

All the positive customer response and associated business growth enables businesses to look for more possibilities in the hyperlocal space. This has enabled more and more businesses to come in and explore the benefits of operating in a hyperlocal space. And it is the continuing ingression of businesses in the hyperlocal industry that is making it grow beyond limits.

Future of hyperlocal ecommerce

There is no doubt about the fact that hyperlocal ecommerce has penetrated scores of households across the globe. With technology acting central, the future for hyperlocal ecommerce appears bright. Robotics, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology and drone deliveries appear to be setting the stage for the acceleration of hyperlocal ecommerce.

Not just businesses and consumers, but hyperlocal ecommerce has the investors’ eyeballs grabbed too. Yes! They are also sailing on the hyperlocal ecommerce boom. Food-tech and hyperlocal space seems to have found favors with investors once again. According to a source, in the first half of the year 2018, hyperlocal delivery startups raised $82.6 million in funding.

One thing that can be established is the fact that there is still a lot of evolution and growth lined up for this industry. A large, evolving market as of the present times is bound to be competitive, and at the same time, it provides opportunities for new entrants. So, still in its partly introductory and partly growth stage, hyperlocal ecommerce is bound to accommodate more big players into its ambit in the times to arrive.

Summing up

Hyperlocal ecommerce has appealed to the masses. Where on one hand it has brought respite and convenience to the customers’ doorsteps, on the other hand, it has enabled businesses to establish a strong foothold in the hyperlocal space and go all guns blazing, capturing markets and fetching profits. Herein, the role of hyperlocal ecommerce delivery software and apps is direly called for. Without their intervention, the world of hyperlocal deliveries would not have been so smooth.

All said and done, hyperlocal deliveries are in huge demand. And this upsurge in demand is highly emblematic of what is to arrive in the hyperlocal space. Yes! You inferred that right. Hyperlocal ecommerce is going hammer and tongs and as it goes up it is sure to pave way for many budding entrepreneurs and aspiring businesses to come in, participate and emerge as potential competitors in that very space.

In hyperlocal ecommerce, lie the seeds of endless possibilities and growth and businesses ought to make the most of it.