Do you feel that your life in the metro is keeping you so busy that you have hardly any time to attend to basic needs?
Thanks to online portals, you can save time by ordering groceries from your home.
What they offer
The portals offer a wide range of products from fruits, vegetables to rice, dal, oil and masala. Almost all the online service providers have categorised their products under different heads.
For instance, you will find them grouped into dairy products, meat, and baby care for easy selection.
But if you are a first time user, you may have to spend some time browsing through the different categories available. It is quite interesting that the price of branded products varies across portals. For example, if you are in Delhi, a 5 kg pack of Aashirvaad Multigrain Atta is priced at ₹235 on www.bigbasket.com .
But you may be able to find deals at different sites from time to time — for instance, www.localbanya.com offered a discount and listed the product at ₹222.
What it costs
Like any other e-commerce portal, these online groceries also allow you to make payments using your credit or debit card.
You can also opt to pay cash on delivery. BigBasket also offers a pre-paid option with a wallet/credit account that can be pre-loaded with money.
While select portals offer free delivery, some others have a purchase limit which has to be met to avail of that service.
For example, www.shop.peppertap.com charges ₹50 for purchases below ₹250; BigBasket charges ₹20-25 for purchases below ₹1,000. The delivery charges are fixed and do not vary based on the quantum of your purchase.
If you want delivery the same day, BigBasket requires that the order be placed before noon. You can choose the time slot when you want the goods to be delivered at the time of purchase itself. Localbanya offers delivery from 7 am to 7:30 pm; others such as zopnow deliver till 10pm. You can also track your order/delivery status.
Refund policy
The products can be checked at the time of delivery. In case you are not satisfied, you can either re-order or return and opt for a refund.
Localbanya accepts fruits and vegetables if returned within two days from the date of delivery; for packaged food and non-food items, it is five days. If you opt for the refund amount, it will be added to your online wallet that can be used for your next purchase.
You can also opt for a cash-back by placing a request; the amount will be paid back to your credit/debit card account in three-five business days.
Pros and cons
Placing orders from the comfort of your home or on the go using your mobile application can be a great time saver. The process may be slightly time consuming, but that is only when you place an order for the first time. Later orders will be saved automatically.
You can even create and save the list of products that you may buy often. This could save you a lot of time, because subsequent orders can be placed at the click of a button.
Additionally, redeemable points are added to your account every time you make a purchase. These points can be used for getting discounts on future purchases. Portals also offer discount coupons. On the flip side, most portals are confined to metros, such as Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. So, look for portals that offer the service in your locality. Also check out if the brands you are looking for are easily available.