StoreKing Is Empowering the Rural Customers Everyday

Bengaluru-based e-commerce startup, StoreKing, is leaving no stones unturned to reach the untapped rural customer base. With its increasing reach towards the interiors of India, it is assisting customers in taking advantage of online shopping.

Philosophy Behind StoreKing’s Assisted E-Commerce

Sridhar Gundaiah – CEO, started StoreKing in 2012 with a thinking. Digital revolution that has engulfed all the major cities is still lacking in a proper approach to reach beyond the tier 2 and tier 3 cities. In both these categories, online retail is still solidifying its position. But when we go beyond these cities, we reach the villages of India which are still very hard tap into. Sridhar Gundaiah started working on a strategy to make the villagers a part of the e-commerce boom.

The Plan

As per the strategy, StoreKing started approaching shops in these villages. From small kirana shops to mobile recharge outlets, the representatives went everywhere to convince the shopkeepers to buy and install StoreKing kiosks or tablets in their shops. The tablets have pre-installed company app.

Today, these kiosks offer over 80,000 different products to choose from. The villagers just have to select the category, the product of their choice and click on ‘buy’. The shopkeepers assist them in doing so. Once an online order is placed, the customer pays the shopkeeper and receives a bill. A confirmation message is sent immediately on the customer’s mobile, if available. The product delivery is made the very next day at the shop from where the customer collects it. In return, the shopkeeper earns around 10% commission on each such sale.

Now, around 17,000 such rural shops are connected with StoreKing in western and southern India. The startup plans to expand its operations in rest of the regions soon.

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Takeaways:-

• StoreKing is a leading assisted e-commerce player.
• It installs kiosks and mobile tablets in rural shops where villagers can order products online and receive the delivery the very next day.
• Today, around 17,000 rural shops are a part of StoreKing’s large network.