How Blink empowered a Supermarket in Oman to outperform direct online sales against aggregator platforms

Introduction
Established in 2005 in Qatar, a prominent supermarket chain has been revolutionizing the traditional shopping experience, offering a diverse range of products from local and international sources. Renowned for exceptional service, unbeatable quality, and a dedication to community empowerment, this neighborhood retailer has become a favorite in the country of  Oman as well.

Challenge

Despite its initial success, the supermarket faced unique challenges in enhancing its online presence in the digital world of today. Managing a vast array of products with varying weights and complex pricing structures proved difficult with their existing e-commerce solution, resulting in a suboptimal user experience. Additionally, their logistics partner, specializing only in delivery, further compounded customer dissatisfaction.

Furthermore, the previous solution they used lacked customer data. Which resulted in hindering the supermarket’s ability to understand customer behavior and preferences. And impacting targeted marketing campaigns. To address these issues and stagnant sales, the supermarket sought an effective solution.

Solution

In November 2022, the supermarket found a solution with Blink, an enterprise online ordering system. Blink provided a tailored website and mobile app, empowering customers to place orders directly. This unified system granted complete visibility over customer data and the delivery process.

With Blink, the supermarket competed directly with emerging instant grocery platforms, experiencing a 5% growth in in-store sales in the first six months. The platform facilitated expansion beyond physical stores, capturing a growing online market

Blink’s ordering system offered comprehensive visibility into the customer data of 5000+ users over twelve months, granting the supermarket control over its physical and digital operations. The platform also allowed tracking of order trends, optimizing resource allocation for increased efficiency.

Through Blink’s platform, the supermarket has been able to keep track of its order trends, based on which they have been able to allocate resources more efficiently.

But there’s more. Blink provided the supermarket with the solution of tapping into high-demand locations. The Order Heat Map provided by Blink in the backend portal allowed them to view order breakdowns by location, helping them identify areas with high order volumes. Ensuring that they can meet customer demand in these areas, the supermarket is now able to allocate resources accordingly. 

The feature helps this supermarket ensure that they have enough staff and inventory to meet customer demand, reducing the risk of stockouts and delays in delivery

Moreover, with Blink’s location-based ordering, customers can place orders from their nearest branch, allowing the supermarket to optimize their delivery routes to ensure that orders are delivered efficiently. 

These insights help this supermarket make data-driven decisions, improving its operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Results

Since joining Blink, this supermarket has seen an exponential increase in its online orders. In just their first twelve months, they accomplished a 30x increase in their direct online orders with Blink.

By having its own direct online ordering system, the supermarket was able to outperform its direct online sales over its sales on aggregator platforms. The surge in app-based transactions especially, not only boosted their revenue but also strengthened their customer loyalty and engagement. Providing an exceptional delivery experience through Blink’s technology, they succeeded in driving customer satisfaction and retention.

By putting the convenience of their customers first through the use of a world-class ordering website and mobile application, they have been able to achieve an order rating of 4.3 from their customers.

Moreover, their overall Repeat Purchase rate according to Blink’s dashboard is 26.2%,  cementing the fact that a significant number of their customers come back to place another order with them on their online ordering channel. This indicates that their customers are finding value in the supermarket’s direct online ordering channel and are willing to use it again, helping the company increase their customer retention and loyalty.

By analyzing the sales data of their top-selling items, the supermarket has been able to identify which products are popular among their customers. And which are not performing that well. This information has helped them optimize their inventory management, forecast demand, and strategize marketing campaigns accordingly. It’s no wonder why they are Oman’s favorite neighborhood retailer!

So, whether you’re a seasoned shopper or a first-timer, this Blink-powered supermarket is ready to take your shopping experience to the next level. 

And if you’re looking to launch your supermarket or grow your existing business, sign up with Blink today and become the next superhero of grocery shopping!

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