Over the years, grocery shopping has changed. Not just a mere change but a significant difference as more and more customers are tilting toward online shopping. This online experience has opened new opportunities for numerous traditional grocery businesses that struggled over the last few years due to the pandemic.
Considering the pandemic (almost gone), running and managing multi-stores is quite challenging in the current scenario. Indeed, the operational elements of running a multi-store are not so different from managing a single store.
How technology helps multi-grocery store businesses?
If anything, the onset of the pandemic has taught, of course, continues to teach, how important it is to be flexible and quickly adapt to new things. Gone are the days when offering grocery delivery services was an option.
Currently, it is a mainstream choice. With 30 and 15-minute delivery options, grocery delivery solutions have become fast and efficient with enhanced systems. With grocery delivery solutions taking center stage, it becomes more complex for multi-store owners to keep track of operations.
Some of the frequently asked questions by grocery store owners:
- Why do I need a grocery delivery solution since I already have an outstanding customer base and fantastic sales?
- Will the newly developed delivery solution affect my offline business?
- If I develop a grocery delivery solution for my business, will my employees still have to update manual records?
Honestly, the questions are endless.
A grocery delivery solution is not just to deliver groceries to your customers. From managing sales, promotions, and inventory to ensuring operations run smoothly across all stores; a grocery delivery solution does more than meeting the demands of the customers.
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The change in shopping behavior
In the current age of digitization, a grocery delivery solution is a must to cater to a significant niche in your market. Why? Because mobile phones have become an extension of the human hand, not just a device that lets us make calls. In fact, smartphones have now become an essential part of customers' online shopping, reducing their need to visit an offline store.
Reasons why you should consider a multi-management solution for your multi-store grocery business
Establishes standard operating procedures
One of the advantages of having a multi-store solution is that you can create standard operating procedures across all your offline stores. And, when it is done, your business will become more productive.
For instance, your newly on boarded employees can refer to the solution for their employee training program. This will ensure that every employee receives proper training, reducing workplace mistakes. When employees are trained with the same plan, customers will get the same experience no matter which store they visit.
Streamlines communication
While effective communication is the key to running a multi-store grocery business efficiently, it could also be challenging for some business owners. This is where a multi-store management system comes into the picture. A good multi-store management solution streamlines communication across the enterprise.
When all employees in the enterprise utilize a network-wide communication system, managers and higher management will be able to reach any employee across the stores. This will provide managers with useful connections and let the staff know that everybody’s work is crucial to the enterprise’s overall success.
The primary objective behind using a multi-store management system and its communication platform is that enables every store to stay involved and included with the remaining stores and business. This process is critical to creating standardized operations and running the entire business smoothly.
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Optimizes inventory management
Earlier, inventory management meant tons of books filled with lists, numbers, etc. Not anymore. Multi-store management solution can help multi-store grocery businesses in optimizing inventory management. Inventory management is a challenge in itself.
On top of that, managing inventory at multiple stores and locations is no less than a war. This is primarily due to the fluctuations in product popularity. The product that gets sold quickly at one store may not be so popular at another.
A multi-store management system simplifies the whole process by helping with the inter-store transfer. Shifting inventory from one store to another, facilitating store managers to divide the inventory equally, or when to expect the inventory solution makes everything easier and simpler. Linking chain stores via a POS solution effortlessly optimizes inventory management, unleashing opportunities to increase ROI.
Helps with better customer service & loyalty programs
As discussed earlier, standardizing operations across stores is one of the advantages of a multi-store management solution. On the other hand, upon standardizing operations, grocery businesses can introduce loyalty programs and implement better customer service practices.
But what is the use of a loyalty program? Grocery store businesses can utilize loyalty programs across stores to analyze data and understand what products sell like hot cakes and where services can be improved. When your customers sign up for rewards and loyalty programs, stores can track their purchases and analyze shopping behavior for better service.
Read More: Engage your customers for delivery business with a digital solution.
For instance, rewards, loyalty points, or gift cards can be used across stores, your customers will be encouraged and motivated to shop at any of your stores, whether online or offline. This will increase brand loyalty, better customer service ratings, and repeat business from your customers.
Reporting & analytics
Whether it is customer purchasing behavior, loyalty programs, or inventory management, each POS system will produce numerous reports based on collected analytics. Now, these reports can significantly assist store managers in making informed decisions.
Such helpful reports offer grocery businesses accurate information with forecasting and planning, valuable insights on customers’ demographics, psychographics, and much more.
Store pick-up or home delivery
For your customers, you can add either store pick-up or home delivery or both in your multi-management solution. No matter how popular your store is in your locality, not having a grocery delivery app could always limit your revenue and sales. Imagine your customers having a great emergency and being unable to visit your offline store.
In such a scenario, your customers will prefer to buy things online. And this will slowly become a habit. Instead of visiting your store, they will conveniently choose to order the same groceries online. This will certainly disturb your customer base.
But when you provide your customers the option of ordering things online, they will either shop online or visit your offline store, whichever is comfortable for them. As a matter of fact, your store will be popular not just in your locality.
If you are just building a customer base in your newly established grocery business, what better way to start it than with an app that could get your customers' groceries delivered in just a few taps? In today’s digital era, people hardly have time to shop for vegetables, fruits, and groceries. Therefore, giving them a grocery delivery solution is the best and most efficient way to win customers.
To learn more about multi-store management solutions and how to improve your grocery business, get in touch today.
