4 Common Misconceptions about Online Grocery Shopping

Technological advancement and the internet have made human life more convenient and simpler. Today it is easier to buy everything online and get it delivered without stepping out of your home. With rising disposable incomes, limited outdoor interaction, hectic schedules and increased remote working culture, working professionals and the general public prefer buying things online, and groceries are no exception. Today, more people are buying groceries online to save time and the hassle involved in offline shopping. On top of that, due to the rising demand for online shopping, brands like Swiggy Instamart are rapidly capturing the online grocery shopping market share and are very popular among online shoppers.  

Though the online grocery shopping market is fertile and rapidly growing, many people are still hesitant to try it out. Many of them haven’t tried it despite having a smartphone and an active internet connection. Though the lack of knowledge of the process is the prominent reason, many misconceptions and myths hold many people back from trying online grocery shopping. Here are four such common misconceptions about shopping for groceries online that you must know. 

1.Only millennials and working professionals buy groceries online. 

Many people out there think online shopping is just for tech-savvy people like millennials and young adults. Many people also believe that working professionals are the only ones who buy things online as they don’t get enough free time from their hectic schedules. But that isn’t the case. According to a 2018 study, Generation X made 20% more online purchases than young adults. That means a large demographic of people other than millennials and working professionals are buying groceries online. 

Various factors have contributed to the user adoption from the non-millennial demographic, such as access to faster internet, increased smartphone usage, user-friendly interfaces of the grocery shopping website and apps and the tutorials and help offered by the shopping brands. All these factors have made it possible for people other than millennials to buy groceries online in India.  

Apart from that, language isn’t a barrier anymore for people. More and more people today understand basic English instructions to buy things online. Apart from that, grocery buying websites have also made their websites available in different regional languages like Hindi, Marathi, Bangla, etc. That is why more and more people can order groceries online, as they are no longer dependent on understanding English.  

2.Only people in top cities buy groceries online. 

One of the major misconceptions about grocery deliveries is that only people from top cities buy groceries online. But that isn’t true. Though only a small portion of people from rural India buy groceries online, the adoption rate is rapidly increasing. Thanks to government initiatives like Digital India, more people have access to the internet and smartphones. India offers the cheapest internet charges in the entire world, which is one of the reasons why people from rural India are also turning towards online grocery shopping. 

Another factor contributing to this growth in rural parts of India is the unavailability of certain grocery items in the local shops. Thanks to globalisation, people are exposed to global cultures and cuisines. That means even people in rural areas want to try exotic dishes and want to order the ingredients required to make them at home.  

For example, you may not get mozzarella cheese or cheddar cheese to make a pizza at home. Therefore, people from tier 2 and tier 3 cities also turn to online groceries. Even grocery shopping apps have also expensed their deliveries in smaller towns, making it easier for the residents to order groceries without much hassle.  

3.It only safe to buy groceries from local stores. 

Many think buying groceries offline from local stores is safer than ordering online. But that isn’t the case. People are concerned about various aspects of online shopping, such as the quality of goods, payment safety, return policy, etc. But online grocery shopping aces in all these areas.  

First of all, online grocery websites in India offer only branded and top-quality products from top brands. That means you can be accrued of the best quality. 

On top of that, the shoppers have the freedom to choose from different brands, so they can choose the brand they trust. Paying for online groceries is safe and faster. There are various payment options, such as UPI, debit cards, credit cards, net banking, cash on delivery, etc. You can also save plenty of money by using discount offers and festive sales, something which you don’t get while shopping offline.  

Additionally, your local grocery vendor may not take the defective product back if you wish to return them. On the other hand, online grocery websites have convenient return policies to return defective products and get a refund. That is why more and more people are switching to online grocery shopping.  

4. People don’t buy fresh produce online. 

One of the major misconceptions about shopping for groceries online in India is that people think they cannot buy fresh produce like vegetables and fruits from online grocery shopping websites. But that isn’t true. Most grocery shopping brands offer the delivery of fresh produce like fruits and vegetables. That means you can order everything you need to make meals, from vegetables to spices and other condiments, without hassle.  

The grocery shopping brand also offers superfast delivery that delivers the product to your house within a few minutes. This way, you always get fresh vegetables delivered when buying groceries online. Apart from that, when you buy vegetables online, you are provided with a wide range of exotic vegetables you may not get from the local vegetable seller. 

Vegetables like broccoli, baby corn, zucchini, bell peppers, and mushrooms may not be available at the local vegetable store, but you get them online. It is one of the reasons why people prefer buying fresh produce online to getting fresh vegetables at the best price.  

Despite all these misconceptions, online grocery shopping in India is rapidly growing. People are getting more educated about the process and benefits of online grocery shopping. This made it easier to transition from offline grocery shopping to online.