Amal Babu’s Post

The 10-minute delivery trend from apps like Blinkit and Zepto has changed how people shop in cities, but it’s coming at a steep price for traditional kirana shops. These local stores, often family-run and deeply rooted in communities, are struggling to keep up. Reports suggest that more than two lakh of these shops have shut down recently, unable to compete with the discounts and speed these big platforms offer. In my view, while digital progress is exciting, it shouldn’t mean traditional retailers are left behind. These kirana shops are more than just stores; they’re reliable parts of our neighborhoods, offering services like personal credit and tailored shopping experiences that big delivery platforms can’t easily replicate. I think there’s a need for a middle ground here. Supporting policies that help small retailers digitize or exploring ways for them to participate in this evolving market could be a way forward. If we don’t address this, we’re risking more than lost sales—we’re losing a vital part of local communities. What’s your take? Can both worlds thrive together?

The Dark Side of Quick Commerce: Are We Killing Our Neighborhood Stores? As we continue to navigate the world of e-commerce and quick delivery, it's essential to take a step back and assess the impact of our choices on local businesses and communities. The rise of quick commerce apps like Zepto and Blinkit has undoubtedly disrupted the traditional kirana store business model. These apps offer convenience, speed, and a wide range of products at our doorstep. However, the consequences of our reliance on these apps are far-reaching and devastating. Alarming Statistics: - 50% of kirana stores have been impacted by the rise of quick commerce apps - 2,00,000 kirana stores have shut down forever, leaving families without a livelihood - 82% of customers have abandoned their local stores in favor of quick commerce apps - Daily sales of kirana stores have dropped by 30%, making it challenging for them to sustain their businesses The Human Cost: While quick commerce apps may offer convenience and speed, they're eroding the livelihoods of countless kirana store owners and their families. These stores have been the backbone of our communities for decades, providing employment, supporting local economies, and offering personalized services that are unmatched by quick commerce apps. The Fight Back: But here's the thing: kirana stores are fighting back! They're adopting digital technologies, offering home delivery services, and providing personalized customer service. They're also leveraging their unique strengths, such as their knowledge of local markets, their ability to offer credit facilities, and their commitment to supporting local communities. #QuickCommerce #KiranaStores #LocalBusiness #CommunityFirst #Sustainability #ResponsibleConsumerism #SupportSmallBusiness

Zepto, Blinkit and other quick commerce apps are blowing up, but studies by Datum Intelligence and The Economic Times show an interesting trend - our good ol' neighbourhood kirana stores aren't going anywhere! 🛍 Why do people still love their local kirana wala? 🤔 1. Talk about a generation gap! While the Gen Z crowd is digging the speed of quick commerce, the boomers still value the familiarity and personal connections at their trusted kirana. 2. You just can't beat that community vibe and personalized service kirana stores offer, something the apps seriously lack. But how can the kirana stores step up their game?🔝 1. Going online with ordering and delivery options could be a game-changer to bring in those young shoppers. 2. Doubling down on their strengths - fresh local produce, curated desi products, and spot-on recommendations based on knowing customers in and out. Now that's something the big apps can't replicate! The way it's seen, as these new-age quick commerce players explode, our good ol' kiranas will stick around by adapting smartly. It's all about enjoying the best of both worlds as consumers! 💫 #GenerationalDivide #LocalLoveForKiranas #QuickCommerce

How dark stores are powering quick commerce's rise https://lnkd.in/dDBsxrJC Download Economic Times App to stay updated with Business News - https://lnkd.in/eK4XZsX #quickcommerce

What exactly #QuickCommerce brings to the table?... The answer is very simple - #Convenience and #Laziness. This may sound rude, but this is a reality. The whole existence of #QuickCommerce is summarised in these two words. A lot of people think that quick-commerce is here to disrupt the offline KIRANA model. But what if the offline model disrupts the Online model via an Online app? Sounds like #Uber and #Ola vs #NammaYatri story 😎 Since, I am pissed off with this whole #PlatformFee #DeliveryFee #HandlingFee concept, I am going to share this idea for free. Here comes the Amazon of #QuickCommerce - 'Concept X' 1. KIRANA onboarding - Bring all the KIRANAs in an area on Concept X. 2. Catalog - Sync all the assortment/stocks of these KIRANAs to Concept X 3. Pricing - Create a global price list for the assortments which should be agreed upon by all the KIRANAs. 4. Delivery/Pick up from store - Use the shop staff to do the delivery FREE OF COST or Promote pick up from store by giving X/- rupees off on the order. How 'Concept X' will work?... 1. App will pick or user will enter his pincode for geolocation (500 m -1 KM delivery range) 2. The entire catalog of that pincode will be shown which will be driven by the list of items sold by the KIRANAs in that area. 3. The user will place and order which will be fulfilled by the nearest store to the delivery location. If not, the order will be split. 4. The delivery will be done by the staff or pick will be done by the user Why 'Concept X' will disrupt #QuickCommerce 1. Better price - Not sure if people have realised this, but if you buy from an offline store, they usually give you better deals. If you make a syndicate of KIRANAs and regulate their procurement process, there is no way a quick-commerce can match their price. 2. Free Delivery - Already explained 3. Icing on the cake - Pick up from store (which might be barely 300 m from you house), which will pay the users instead of charging them. What value add 'Concept X' bring for the end users? ... 1. Better pricing 2. Convenience 3. Opportunity to earn rather than loose money on the various fees. In the end, How 'Concept X' will make money as a company 😎 (it is kind of important as well) 1. Subscription fee from the KIRANAs So, what do you think about this !!!! P.S. - This is just an idea. No hate intended and definitely not trying to start a world war 😀

Quick Commerce ≠ Mindless Shopping Zepto, could you convey this message? Q-commerce apps like Zepto are all in the talks these days. Groceries at your doorstep in minutes. Super convenient, right? 📦 But here’s something I’ve been thinking about... Just because it’s fast, does that mean we need to buy more? Consume more? We’re in this weird space where speed is everything, but do we really need all that stuff? What if Zepto (and other brands) took a different route? One that’s not just about quick deliveries but also about responsible consumption. 🛒 What if every time you placed an order, there was a little reminder? Something like, “Only buy what you need". Simple nudges like these could make a huge difference. And here’s the thing: promoting responsible consumption won’t hurt Zepto’s profits. 💸 In fact, it could make the brand even stronger. People care about what companies stand for. When they see a brand encouraging mindful shopping, it builds trust. It shows that Zepto isn’t just about fast deliveries—it’s about doing the right thing. That’s the kind of thing customers remember and stick with long-term. I'm not saying “stop” the convenience. Fast delivery is amazing! But it can coexist with a message that promotes 'mindful shopping'. At the end of the day, brands hold the power to influence our habits for the better. So why not use that power to push for something bigger? Something that matters. 💡💡 Repost to spread the message. #Sustainability #ConsciousLiving #QuickCommerce #Zepto #BusinessForGood #Branding #Consumerism #Overconsumption

Do it right, or do it twice 😎 (a great slogan from one of the brands we are managing currently World's Toughest Fix) Will they get it right this time...well they are certainly making the right noises anyway! After the first failed attempt there are a lot of murmerings around the second iteration from Tesco at a marketplace... I wanted to see what they were doing differently...and they are doing things differently it feels. For starters seamless integration with your grocery shopping, go through the same app, and you get clubcard points (and thats to 22m clubcard holders)..with a focus on quality metrics of the sellers...feels different right🤔 good luck Peter Filcek and team🤩 #marketplace #resilience #ontrend https://lnkd.in/dV7XRbND

In recent time I have seen lot of people are talking about this issue and it’s serious, quick commerce is taking over small business owners currently it’s kirana stores owners but soon it will take over electronics and other small businesses as well and I was discussing this issue with my fellow friends and almost 7 out 10 were using quick commerce and all the other platforms for vegetable and grocery needs, and I was like why don’t people just go every month to buy grocery store, why don’t they go to buy daily needs every other day i think nowadays everything is easily accessible it’s just 5 mins walk away but it’s not only about accessibility but these platforms made us so easy to use it that we don’t find any logic of going in the shop I mean the offers are so irresistible that you find it illogical to go and shop I mean you will get the delivery of daily needs and grocery in 10 mins and if order value cross certain amount then it’s almost free this not only making people lazy but in future it will have its repercussions. I always prefer to go to grocery store or we go to nearby grocery store for our monthly groceries and I think it’s good exercise you have some family time and keeps you active but whenever I get occupied we have no option rather than using the quick commerce apps and grocery apps Few days back I was coming back to home from Wagholi and it took 90 minutes to reach home and it was raining heavily, I thought the first thing I will have in home was tea and I was aware that we are running out of milk so I planned to take milk from nearby grocery store and when I went there he didn’t had the same brand then I said give me whatever brand you have then he gave me the big size packet and it happened in another two shops even they didn’t had smaller packet I just got fed up before going home I ordered the milk from Blinkit, the moment I freshen up and changed my clothes, I doorbell ring and here he was the guy from Blinkit with my order I mean this convenience was not even there few years back and obviously when you such a convenience then it will have major threat to the small businesses because neither the grocery shop cared about my needs also he was helpless in giving me the product because he didn’t had it on the other side I just had to go to the app choose the thing I want and it is home delivered to me in 10 to 15 mins The Quick Commerce will rise and make situation even worse for small kirana owners I think these people had to come up with innovative solutions #quickcommerce #convenience

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐈𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐙𝐎𝐍 🚀 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐧 has lost 2.6 million users in the US. A new platform launched and within six months, it became the second-largest e-commerce platform in the US, disrupting the global e-commerce sector. And its name is 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐮. But wait, this isn't your normal e-commerce shopping app. It's a 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐠𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐳𝐚. 🎉🛍️ There are millions of products with prices 𝟏𝟎 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐧 and everything is on 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞. To acquire all these users, 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐮 spent over 𝟏𝟔,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐬 on advertising last year. They were the 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 on 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 and 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦. 📈💸 But where did Temu get all this money from? Well, Temu's parent company is 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐨, one of the three largest e-commerce groups in China. And they ship products directly from China to US homes. So 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐧 can't even think of beating it on price. 🇨🇳📦 And what's surprising is that direct delivery from China takes 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬. But people don't mind at all. If the product is 𝟏𝟎 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫, they are willing to wait two weeks. ⏳💰 #Amazon #Temu #Ecommerce #Pinduoduo #OnlineShopping #RetailRevolution #Discounts #ShoppingExtravaganza #USMarket #ChinaToUS #AffordablePrices

Kirana Shopkeeper: "Hello Mani Saar! How is Madam doing today? How can I help you? Need the usual items?" Mani: "Yes, Anna, just the usual groceries. Thank you for asking. Madam is doing well!" Kirana Shopkeeper: "Good to hear! By the way, your daughter must be busy with college now. She hasn’t visited the shop in a while." Mani: "Yes, she’s always online these days, even for shopping. She keeps ordering from those quick delivery apps. Says it saves time." ME: These apps are fast, but can they ask about Madam’s health or remember your usual list like the shopkeeper does? But I get it, times are changing. Quick Commerce Perspective: Fast delivery platforms need to learn from this kind of personal connection. Gen Z values speed and convenience, but they also appreciate authenticity and personalized experiences when done right. Imagine a quick commerce app that knows your family’s preferences, offers recommendations based on your past orders, and even sends a friendly message like, "How’s your week going, Mani? Don’t forget your favorite biscuits!" This human touch combined with tech-driven efficiency could bridge the gap between convenience and connection. Quick commerce doesn’t have to be just about speed; it can be about understanding and making people feel cared for. After all, even Gen Z appreciates brands that make them feel seen. but the warmth of shopkeepers smile, the flavour of his nativity in his voice and the peculiar way of him calling out saar (sir)... will definitelybe missed ! Soon this shopping experience might fade away! #swiggy #blinkit #zepto #qcommerce #randomthoughts #flipkart #sundaytimes