Hello entrepreneurs, in this blog we are going to share our secrets on How to start an Online Vegetable business in India. We (Leafydo) are also an online vegetable startup in Mumbai, that’s why we are the perfect one for assistance on “How to start an online vegetable business in India”.
It’s our recommendation to read the entire post because everything is explained step by step.
Requirements to start an online vegetable business in India
a. PC, WIFI connection, printer, and coding knowledge:- A PC with 8 GB RAM, WIFI connection with minimum 30 MBPS, LaserJet printer, and minimum coding language is required to start an online vegetable business.
b. Create a website and App: Without a website, there would be no online business. Some advisors suggest that you can start an online business with social media apps like What’s App, Instagram, etc.
You can also check our website and app to see how professional it looks
2: Leafydo App
c. On-field vegetable market knowledge: Market knowledge means you have to study the price fluctuation of vegetables according to season. For example, the price of coriander is Rs 12-15 in winter, but in the rainy season, it goes up to Rs50.
d. Net and Poly bags: Net bags are eco-friendly and specially made to pack veggies. It would cost higher when you purchase net bags from a big website. We deliver net bags to your location. Join the LeafydoSupport Telegram channel for support.
e. Vegetable Weight Machine: One of the basic requirements to start an online vegetable business is a vegetable weight machine. When a customer orders veggies then you have to measure the weight of veggies according to order size.
f. Delivery boy: The vegetable business is purely based on the delivery system. Initially hire 2-3 delivery boys who are ready to work with you.
g. Four Wheeler(Vehicle): Most small entrepreneurs face this issue a lot. Initially, you can take 4 wheeler on rent for business, but gradually you would realize that it is costlier and all your profits goes into transportation.
h. Basic Licence : The government of India provides a license called “Udyog Aadhar“. Udyog aadhar gives important information about your business to the government of India.
Steps to start an Online Vegetable Business In India
It is our recommendation not to follow these steps blindly because maybe your situation is different so think before you act. We expect that you have fulfilled the above all requirements
Step 1:- Start with marketing:- Promote your website and app by using paid advertisements like Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and Instagram Ads. Make amazing reels and share on your what’s app status. Tell your relatives and friends to share their what’s app status. You would receive a few orders after a little bit of marketing.
Step 2:- Buy Veggies from the wholesale market: After receiving a few orders, promise all your customer that we would deliver the next day so that you would have enough time to buy veggies and pack them.
Step 3: – Packing and delivering: Now after buying vegetables according to the order size, you have to pack veggies with the delivery boy. Make sure that weight and quality should not be compromised. After packing all things, do not forget to put the order invoice inside the bag. This packing and delivering should be done all over the day. Convince your customer that the delivery schedule may change because the startup is at the initial stage.
How to compete in the Online Vegetable business in India
Put price lower: There are lots of customers in India whose priority is the price as compared to time. If you give discount upto 30% then the customer would accept next day delivery. Always think about customers’ point of view and what they exactly want.
Give fresh Veggies: Online vegetables are a highly perishable business and some companies fail to satisfy their customer. You can compete with giant startups by covering small locations. Customers hesitate to buy vegetables online because of quality issues but if you set a good image of your brand inside customers’ minds, then you can compete easily.
Better customer support: Big grocery businesses are like robots. They do not care about customers personally because they are handling thousands of customers daily. But if you just started then you have much time to understand the pain point of customers. Maintain relations with customers and get results, that’s the mantra.
Things to remember before you start an Online Vegetable business:
A. Always hire those employees who have a vision: When a person comes with self motive, then the organization won’t survive for a longer period. Before hiring, make sure that vision of the employee must match with you
B. Work on Transportation: After a certain period, make sure that you have to invest in transportation because transportation is the backbone of the online vegetable business.
C. Do not expand overnight:- Expand yourself when you feel confident. Most entrepreneurs expand without thinking about negative effects. Expansion with calculated risk is a smart decision but expansion without thinking makes your startup shut down.
How to do Marketing of Online vegetable business in India:
A. Distribute pamphlets: Always remember that the target customer of online vegetable businesses are “Mothers”. So distributing Pamphlets is one of the best strategies to promote your online vegetable business
B. Running google ads: Make sure that you have to run google ads in the area where you are operating. Do not spend unnecessarily by targeting a wider location.
How to increase sales of Online vegetable business in India.
A. Give discounts: When Indians see any product, they first check the price and ask for a discount from the shopkeeper. Always try to give fresh veggies at a discounted rate. So that people would place orders regularly.
B. Build your brand: Brand building is also one of the key factors to increasing sales, especially in the online vegetable business. To build your brand, just focus on customer satisfaction, and gradually people would remember you as the best vegetable app.
FAQ:
It depends on how much dedicated to this business
If you want to make a brand, then it is necessary to make a website.
If you want to provide a better user experience then an App is necessary.
It is our strong recommendation to save some money and then go for this startup because working capital is required more than expected.
Creating an app holds users for a longer period and generates more sales as compared to the website. So if you can afford just an android app then we would suggest building one.
It is recommended that after some months, invest some of your profit to buy 4 wheeler because you would realize that all your profits spent into vehicle rent. So buy it.
Yes, If you are thinking that you can start online business through cyber cafe then we would not recommend anyone. Because there are lots of security threats.
Conclusion
Starting an Online vegetable business is a challenging business, but it has also lots of opportunities if you succeed. Initially, It requires a tech guy and an entrepreneurial guy with 2-3 delivery boys. When leafy started, we also did a lot of hard work. Apart from a technical aspect, communication skills also matter to maintain relations with customers.
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