Acting hyperlocal, delivering global- What’s in store for the hyperlocal businesses and the ecommerce industry?

The term ‘hyperlocal’ is still a fairly new one in the world of ecommerce. It arrived sometime in the first decade of the twenty first century and was mostly brought on by the emergence of the food delivery businesses adopting online business models, aided by the rapid improvement of technology such as internet penetration, the “app-economy,” and the rapid commoditization of smartphones. Swiggy, Grofers, and Big Basket are some names that were pioneer proponents of this model and who met with early success, thereby encouraging other players and industries to adventure into it.

Ever since then and now as hyperlocal ecommerce stands today, it has witnessed a rapid proliferation into several other industries viz a viz household services, groceries, home essentials, spa and salon services.

Meaning of hyperlocal

The word ‘hyperlocal’ fundamentally means something that is more localized in nature- sort of local within a local thing- or something which is extremely localized, geographically closer or just next door. Simply put, it is what is happening in the neighborhood. Hyperlocal delivery, hyperlocal forecast, and hyperlocal news- all convey information regarding a certain limited area.

What is a hyperlocal delivery?

A hyperlocal delivery just concerns the world of logistics and distribution. It is a delivery service that provides deliveries within a limited or specified geographical area. The geographical spread of hyperlocal deliveries may vary between a few miles to several hundred. A walk around your residence and in your colony is likely to make you come across a hyperlocal marketplace, irrespective of how big or small, but self sufficient in its own right, fulfilling almost all the legit requirements of the local residents via hyperlocal deliveries. It is the fulfilment of these hyperlocal deliveries in really specific areas, that has prompted businesses to take these deliveries to a global level.

What does a hyperlocal delivery model entail?

A hyperlocal delivery model is an online business model in which the on-demand needs of customers are met through local offline shops via a digital platform. The main benefit of such a delivery model is that the needs of customers are easily and quickly met.

Under this delivery model, online retailers or the so-called ecommerce firms typically tie-up with local vendors and stores to sell their available inventory—which ensures speedy order fulfillment by the local vendor as soon as the order is received by the online retailer. Look at it the other way, the local store essentially acts as a warehouse for the ecommerce firm. Certain ecommerce businesses have partnered with efficient hyperlocal ecommerce delivery software companies to stay at the top of their hyperlocal pursuit.

Pharmaceuticals, groceries, restaurants, cloud kitchens, and household services are segments where hyperlocal delivery model is becoming widely prevalent and also where convenient and lightning-fast deliveries are becoming a prime requirement of the customers. To meet such growing needs of customers, hyperlocal ecommerce delivery software companies have been working tirelessly at the backend to put in front of today’s customers, some speckless hyperlocal delivery solutions.

The unique selling proposition of hyperlocal ecommerce

Hyperlocal ecommerce is not just the thing of the present, but of future as well. The USP of hyperlocal ecommerce businesses lies in their ability to deliver products and services at an unbelievably fast speed. Getting hold of the product you ordered within a short span of time in as less than an hour is something that hyperlocal delivery models promise to their customers.

Be it ordering food from restaurants that otherwise do not home deliver, to ordering groceries needed by you in a short time has become very much possible and easier, courtesy to the modern-day hyperlocal platforms backed by a robust hyperlocal ecommerce delivery software.

What’s more? When the pandemic of covid19 affected the consumers of the entire world and they were home contained, it was hyperlocal ecommerce that was making contactless and instant deliveries to your doorsteps possible. Yes! By serving small pockets of consumers in every area, they reached out to a massive number of consumers worldwide- adding yet another feather in the cap of hyperlocal businesses.

A brief about hyperlocal ecommerce amidst the outbreak of the pandemic

As the world suffered a big jolt by the outbreak of the pandemic at the beginning of the year 2020 and people were forced to live inside their houses- isolated and quarantined, the brick-and-mortar stores were not able to cope up with the rising demand for day-to-day essential goods. This paved way for aspiring entrepreneurs and ambitious businesses to partner with hyperlocal ecommerce delivery software companies, go hyperlocal and meet the needs of the affected people.

For the customers too, in those challenging times of the pandemic, the only way left was to turn to online retailers which increased the popularity of the hyperlocal ecommerce and on-demand delivery model to a great extent. The outbreak of the pandemic caused a major panic among the consumers which led them to bulk up the essential goods on a priority basis via ecommerce platforms.

It concludes the fact that covid19 caused a major shift in the change of consumer behavior because it made online shopping their only resource and sort of a go-to destination for meeting their daily needs and they apparently seemed to get familiar with it.

Had it not been for the on-demand delivery model during the pandemic, not just the consumers but even the well-established businesses would have faced a tough time handling the circumstances. But courtesy to the timely intervention of hyperlocal ecommerce delivery software and apps, the going was made easy for both the buyers and sellers. Standing up to the current market standards, the hyperlocal model as of the present times, appears pretty appealing for aspiring online business to engage in and fulfill faster deliveries.

Hyperlocal ecommerce as it stands today

Now, as present market understanding and requirement is, the major concern of online retailers at the moment is to deliver goods and services in a shorter span of time- ones that are so quick to leave you flabbergasted; and a hyperlocal delivery model does exactly the same. But to enable this, wishful retailers have to have a strong association with some of the most futuristic and intuitive firms that constantly work upon improving the subtleties of their already immaculate hyperlocal ecommerce delivery software.

With the hyperlocal fever gripping a wide range of businesses, hyperlocal marketplaces are gradually coming up and starting with their operations. Though there are marketplaces today that offer product delivery within 24 hours, which indeed is applaudable but a hyperlocal marketplace can do the same job in just a matter of an hour or few. Here, not only the speed is an attraction for the customer but the fact that products come from their very trusted shops well known to them is also an added advantage.

Future of hyperlocal ecommerce

With increasing trends of adoption of hyperlocal ecommerce by businesses and consumers alike, the ecommerce industry appears set to take a steadier flight. While on one hand, consumers of almost all countries and generational cohorts are going hyperlocal, on the other hand, food businesses, grocery sellers and pharmaceutical retailers have just been making some quick bucks as and by the hyperlocal model gets increasingly popularized and evolved.

Now, with galloping advancements in the field of artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning and blockchain like concepts, hyperlocal logistics technology is bound to ameliorate and go a notch up. This is going to make way for more and more businesses to come onboard with hyperlocal ecommerce delivery software companies and be a part of the hyperlocal journey.

Moreover, it is expected that in the times to arrive as the hyperlocal network becomes more widespread, ecommerce marketplaces and online stores can leverage the hyperlocal delivery model to tie up with local partners and deliver to previously unserviceable regions. For instance, hyperlocal delivery can reach customers in remote regions where big ecommerce companies or brands do not deliver. Or putting it across a bit more optimistically, we can soon witness the hyperlocal delivery services reaching to the minutest nook and corner of the world.

One thing which is sure to happen is that in an era of quick and lightning fast deliveries, hyperlocal delivery is only going to increase in proportions because it gets rid of several shipping middlemen by automating a lot of the shipping processes and easing the transportation process.

Wrapping up

Hyperlocal delivery has become the buzzword in contemporary times of undeterred urbanization characterized by rapid ingression of technology and increased automation and mechanization of business processes. While this can be said assertively that not just food, groceries and home essential businesses are going to continue with a hyperlocal delivery model but more varied businesses from different industries are laying their hands upon reliable and efficient hyperlocal ecommerce delivery software so as to stay in contention.

As the world becomes increasingly competitive and businesses continue to find ways and strategies to become prosperous, one of the most compelling and sure shot way to get vividly noticed is to go hyperlocal because it is the need of the hour. It is by acting hyperlocal that businesses can go global in quick time. And, in just a short time from now, businesses that are going to survive and make a mark for themselves would surely be hyperlocal. The earlier it happens, the better positioned they will be.

After all, when it is learned that future is hyperlocal and the cotemporary consumers are getting increasingly rapacious about the deliveries of their ordered products, businesses would have to pull up their socks, amass the hyperlocal paraphernalia and find out innovative ways of reaching out locally to the global customers, thereby making their existence count as a leading hyperlocal business.

Now in that pursuit, the present circumstances may require them to go full throttle in their run for hyperlocal dreams and aspirations. If they can do this, one thing that can be guaranteed to them is that their efforts will lead them to exist as strong and prominent hyperlocal businesses in some time from now, which would be worth all the pain they take today.