Web startup ideas India

E-commerce is certainly very popular in India, but it shouldn't be restricted to items commonly purchased over the Internet such as electronics, books, perfumes, clothes, and bags. One Indian startup is looking at a different market segment.

AaramShop combines the sale of FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) and CPG (consumer packaged goods) brands to folks who are too busy most of time to physically go and buy their groceries. Simply put, it enables consumers to do their grocery shopping by tying up with neighborhood retailers and transforming the experience of shopping for groceries online.

AaramShop aims to help out individual retailers with physical presence to establish an online store, which allows them to connect better with their Internet-savvy consumers.

Based out of New Delhi, AaramShop comprises a team of techies and marketers and has been operational for over a couple of years now. Vijay Singh, CEO and managing director of Aaramshop, shared more details with me about the startup.

The idea behind Aaramshop

Grocery is what could be considered the "final frontier" and represents the largest challenge. It is one of the largest and most consistent spends undertaken by every household in India and yet it has largely stayed out of the online ambit, Vijay explained.

The consumer is increasingly becoming "digital" and has at least one connected device within arms reach 24 by 7, and brands are trying hard to engage with that consumer, he noted.

"We believe that all the engagement was missing out on closing the loop and that is what we have set out to do, " he said. "We want that when a consumer engages with a brand, she should have the option of going the next step of 'getting' the brand to her home. This is possible for us by integrating the Web with the last mile-online to offline."

"Therefore, the hybrid model that we follow allows shoppers to shop with us online, and then choose a store in their neighborhood-or AaramShop, as we like to call them. The order is fulfilled by the consumers' preferred store which will deliver the products ordered to the consumers' doorstep."

This unique model ensures consumers can get their preferred brands from the Web to the doorstep, in a matter of hours, and without the need to recreate supply chains. It also means "short on time, high on stress" urban consumers can do their grocery shopping with the added ease and convenience.

How do the tie-ups with grocery stores work?

Neighborhood-based grocery stores are an integral part of the AaramShop ecosystem, Vijay said, adding that AaramShop would not be able to operate without their support and involvement.

The startup supports a combination of both independent and chain stores. When a store partners AaramShop, it enjoys a number of advantages-the biggest of which is the physical store would get a 24 by 7 customized Web store, enabling their consumers to access it and place their orders. This helps the retailer grow his sales volume.