Online Grocery Stores in Islamabad & Rawalpindi

Pakistan has the 5th largest population in the world with 221 million people. Pakistan has seen a major uplift in the online grocery shopping trend due to COVID19. Online grocery stores are trending in Islamabad as it is also the Capital of Pakistan along with Rawalpindi being its twin city.   Usually, locals prefer going to physical shops and value brick and mortar shopping more than online grocery shopping. The major reason behind this is TRUST. People have more trust in physical grocery shopping stores than they have in online grocery stores. This is because grocery delivery services face the following issues:   Online Grocery Delivery Industry Challenges:  

1. Supply Chain: How much time will the grocery delivery take? This is the most important factor as groceries are utilized on a daily basis and constitutes a major portion of the household necessities.
2. Price: Competitive prices for grocery products are a deal breaker for grocery shopping. But one major concern that must be focused on is that while reducing the prices of grocery items, the quality must remain unaffected.
3. Availability/ Coverage Area: Availability of the service must be vast enough to cover the entire city including the unhighlighted areas. If you are delivering online grocery in Islamabad then you must provide your services in all areas that are mapped in Islamabad. Similarly, if you are delivering online grocery in Rawalpindi then you must provide your services in all areas that are mapped in Islamabad.
4. Customer Service: Services prosper if their customer services are worthy enough. Grocery store’s customer service representatives are the face of the company. If you fail to meet customers’ expectations in customer service then your return customer rate will fall.
5. Honesty: One of the most important factors yet the least considered one is honesty. Grocery store service honesty plays a vital role in generating a positive word of mouth and nothing does better marketing than a customer recommending you to a fellow.

  Let’s have a look at grocery shopping trends in Pakistan and specifically the Twin Cities, Islamabad & Rawalpindi.   In Pakistan, 59% of online shopping is done by men vs 41% women. Out of this, most of the online shopping i.e. 56% was done by people between 25-34 of age. While talking about the category in which people do online shopping, clothing comes first followed by online grocery shopping, footwear, travel and electronics.   Online grocery stores in Islamabad have been seen as an emerging trend while e-commerce booms. Online grocery shopping from online grocery stores in Rawalpindi has also been visible. Although the rate of online shopping in Pakistan is not that progressive, it has seen vast improvements. People have started showing a positive attitude towards buying grocery online through grocery delivery services. Portals for buying grocery online are picking up momentum. The attitude of online grocery shopping in Islamabad and online grocery shopping in Rawalpindi are very much similar and are growing rapidly.   In Rawalpindi and Islamabad, few existing grocery stores and corner stores have initiated their web apps. Some grocery stores have professional e-commerce websites and services but mostly have woocommerce or shopify customized websites. Existing stores know supply chain challenges but lack online marketing and grocery delivery services for creating a flawless system for grocery shopping. However, they are moving towards digitisation and will be one of the key players in the coming days.