People staying at home: Online shopping sites see a surge in biz

Thiruvananthapuram: From hike in the number of orders to ‘silent delivery’, online shopping sites are trying various options to cater to the demands of customers in the time of Covid-19. With several people staying back at home to avoid getting infected by coronavirus, the online shopping of grocery, vegetables and milk saw a surge in the last couple of weeks in the city.
Vinod NR, MD of online grocery shop Spenlo.com, said they are not able to quantify the demand after the surge in the past few days.“We had around 500 active customers and it increased to 1,000 in the past two weeks. We have accepted orders till March 25. The demand is such that we are not able to provide alternate or substitute brands and have to inform the customer that the product is out of stock. We are working on doubling the potential,” Vinod said.
Despite the busy schedule, the online stores have taken measures to ensure safety of their staff. Staff members have been provided masks and gloves while delivering products.
‘Silent delivery has also picked up these days. Customers under home quarantine ask for silent delivery where the products are left at doorsteps or near apartment entrance without physically meeting the customer.
Online store ‘amneeds.com’ saw a demand in vegetables in the last couple of days. “We have demand for milk and milk products. Besides that, in the past few weeks, more customers are demanding for fresh-cut and uncut vegetables. We supply products to around 3,000 houses. The workload has increased as we have added 100 new customers in the past one week,” said Sujith Sudhakaran, CEO, AM Needs.
The online purchase also indicated a demand for healthy alternative.
Another online store The Farmers Fresh Zone (www.farmersfz.com) is receiving huge demand for leafy vegetables. The online store which provided delivery of products twice in a month made the service daily last week.
“People may be more health conscious now, as we see an increase in demand for seasonal fruits such as watermelons and mangoes and leafy vegetables. There is an increase in 40% to 60% sale in the past week,” said Haani Hashim, SVP, head of product, Farmers Fresh Zone.