Q-Commerce refers to eCommerce models that deliver groceries and other items within an hour. This often involves dark stores or online grocery services.
By its inherent nature, the dark store business model offers a strong value proposition of super-fast delivery. However, despite the fact that the dark store business model has been in existence for a while now, starting and running a dark store is still a relatively new art. In this communiquรฉ, retail and eCommerce consulting firm, Your Retail Coach (YRC) highlights five top visions for entrepreneurs and business owners in starting a dark store or an online grocery store.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ค ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ?
When an entrepreneur chooses a business to start, there are always (or at least should be) some strong reasons behind that choice. Although the answer to this question may look obvious to each individual in their own rights pondering upon it may reveal insights that could be used for competitive leverage. Typical reasons behind choosing a business idea include:
ยท Specialised knowledge and expertise
ยท Rich experience in the same or similar line of business
ยท Already a value chain entity
ยท Unique solutions in the offing
ยท Strong possibility of profitably catering to a niche segment
ยท Leverage from existing capabilities (e.g. own commercial space)
ยท Tie-up with industry specialists
ยท Early/unique access to any competitive privilege
Get advise for Retail Business Consulting : https://www.yourretailcoach.in/contact/
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ?
A typical challenge in dark store business model development is that there is no opportunity to impress customers with store elements and in-store experience. It is difficult for customers to gauge the stature of a business here. All dark stores may appear identical. Big brands with national or regional repute are exceptions but then the beginning is always small for all. So, there must be something unique about dark store startups in their own ways. For example, having an extensive range of warehouses (outnumbering that of existing competitors) for hyperlocal deliveries could be a unique value proposition. Some startups choose higher rates of discounts than competitors as a market entry strategy. Entrepreneurs must have the vision and an action plan to emerge as a unique service provider.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ โ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐โ?
Whether a dark store will be profitable or not is something that is measured at a later stage of dark store business planning. In the beginning, the question should be why the given business idea will be a commercial success. Here, logic and reasoning must stand irrefutable at least in the context of the value-price equation. For example, if all competitors are offering a 5% discount, making it 7.5% makes a huge difference if all other values remain the same. The same logic applies if delivery timelines are significantly reduced. The concern to be additionally addressed here is countering the countermeasures of competitors.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง?
Expanding to new markets, adding new product lines, an optimised network of distribution centres, and increasing market share (customer base) are some of the obvious candidates for growth and expansion strategies in quick commerce. As experienced dark store consultants, YRC recommends having a vision, from the very beginning, of taking the business to new heights going into the future. Dark store businesses can get difficult to manage with scale. With the extension of serving capabilities, distribution centres, and workforce strength, maintaining brand image and the established quality standards in operations and services gets monumentally challenging. At this juncture, it becomes critical to level up the technology infrastructure and improvise the SOPs for dark store operations management.
๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐จ๐๐๐ก:
YourRetailCoach (YRC) is a boutique retail & eCommerce consulting brand( https://www.yourretailcoach.in/ ) with expertise in developing customised enterprise solutions for startups and existing businesses. With a steadily rising international presence and a success ratio of 95%, YRC has catered to 500+ clients in 25+ verticals. In dark store business consulting, YRC offers planning and implementation services and solutions for business setup and growth and expansion programs.
Get advise for Retail Business Consulting : https://www.yourretailcoach.in/contact/
Dr Rupal K Shah
Mind-A-Mend Consultancy Private Limited
+91 98604 26700
consult@mindamend.net
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How to Start a Dark Store? |Dark Store Business Startup