Bhimart: The new phygital experience
India is home to around 12 million Kirana stores which will always be evergreen since even today Indians prefer to buy their essentials from local stores. During the past few months, in rural areas where people found it difficult to make transactions, Kiranas have been a saviour. Thus, they have proved to be durable and reliable especially during emergencies. Their only drawback has been lack of an online platform. Currently Indian retail sales account for 5%, which is estimated to grow up to 10% in the near future.
Since March, 2020 India has witnessed an unprecedented crisis that has plagued the entire world. Though the consequences of this deadly outbreak are yet to be grasped fully, some of its effects have already manifested. Apart from the extremely tragic loss of life, the economy has been going through a downward spiral, recovering from which will be a daunting task for the Govt.
Taking into account the ramifications of this unforeseen crisis, the only way out seems to be building the economy by thoroughly making use of the resources that are already present. According to a recent survey, small and medium stores form 80% of the unorganised retail sector. Big online giants that have overpowered them with their flashy sales and bottomless selection of products. Other areas where they are at a disadvantage is marketing and branding- our local stores neither have the funding to advertise nor are they tech savvy to start selling online by themselves. Hence, a majority of our local sellers decide to shut down or sell their stores after enduring months of loss which is a big cause for concern. Not only does this take away people’s livelihood, it also creates a bubble in the socio-economic balance where e-commerce companies enjoy a monopoly over the market. Now, if we are able to streamline the process of accessibility to such stores through online platforms, these Kirana stores will start contributing to the economy in positive ways. By doing so, not only will the nation be benefited but also the store owners who can now cater to people far beyond his/her reach.
The only ray of hope to revive our local stores is an online platform dedicated to local sellers. Catering to their every need and making sure that their voice is heard should be engraved in its core value. Gaining visibility among tech savvy customers will make way for rise in sales, therefore increasing the seller’s profits. A confident seller will invest his profits into his business, thereby gaining more visibility and thus the cycle continues. By doing so, not only will the nation be benefited but also the store owners who can now cater to people far beyond his/her reach. This humanitarian venture will allow the local sellers to carve a niche for themselves in society as well so that every seller can hold his head held high and walk through life’s path with dignity and pride.
Post COVID-19 , India will see a tremendous change in its work culture and even day to day lives of the people is set to shift with caution. Waiting in queues at stores will become a thing of the past and people will prefer the convenience of ordering online rather than visiting a store. The lack of a connecting bridge between the consumers and local stores is becoming increasingly evident. Wouldn’t it be great if we could buy from our local stores online? This very thought led to the inception of India’s first proximity based shopping platform – BHIMART, where you can shop from all your local stores based on proximity right from the comforts of your home. Bhimart is a part of GM Group of Companies, and was founded by Mr. G.M Lingaraju (Chairman of GM Group), Mr. Rafiq Raj (Co- Founder and CEO of Bhimart) and Mr. Rajiv Lingaraju (Co-Founder of Bhimart).
Bhimart RISE, is Bhimart’s POS ( Point Of Sale) system designed for small and medium businesses including Apparel, Accessories, Automobile Accessories, E-Services, Grocery, Jewelry, Electronics, Furniture, Construction Material, and other such categories. Bhimart RISE offers a solution for managing every aspect of the retail business like billing, inventory management, customer engagement, purchase, and sales management.
With Bhimart customers can benefit from buying products from local stores and contributing to their society in a positive way. They will be able to find nearby shops and check product availability and price comparison with ease. Bhimart gives the option of home delivery or pick up at the store so that the customer can pick an option that is convenient for them. The app is currently available for the residents of Bangalore and can be downloaded on the App Store and Play Store.
Bhimart is proud to be associated with the hard working and well deserving local seller, whose lives and dreams depend on consumers who are willing to contribute to the socio-economic wellbeing of their area/locality. It is a noble endeavour with a vision to create equality. The core values are driven by the hope to see a future where the humble local seller is empowered and can hold his head high in society.