Meet the SHEROES - Rashi Choudhary

Localbanya is an online grocery store that enables the end consumer a quicker and faster shopping experience. Rashi Choudhary along with her business partners started Localbanya to make everyday home shopping a pleasurable experience. She speaks to us today and shares her thoughts behind her venture.

Q1. How did the idea / inspiration of Localbanya come about?
The idea of kick-starting LocalBanya evolved from our personal experiences with grocery shopping. Having spent hours at supermarkets dealing with long billing queues and heavy traffic, we felt that shopping for groceries could be taken online. E-commerce gaining traction in India at a rapid pace has resulted in Indian consumers being very comfortable with shopping online. A service like Localbanya would just fit right in for consumers to order their groceries online and avoid dealing with tiring never-ending grocery trips. Armed with a business plan, Karan, Amit & I decided to take the plunge and began building on the idea of Localbanya.

Q2. What are the greatest challenges faced in this business?
The online grocery market is one of the most dynamic sectors in the retail industry. Unlike other e-commerce verticals, grocery e-tailing faces a myriad of challenges over more traditional forms. The most challenging area in this business is to cope with logistics and operations. Getting the goods to customers on time and in perfect condition is a very crucial task. In addition, limited shelf life of perishable items such as vegetables, fruits, dairy and meat products, adds to the challenges.

Q3. What are the short term plans for the company in terms of city-wise expansion or product and service changes?
We have positioned ourselves for expansion this year. We have recently launched our services in Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi and will be rolling out additional cities every month if all goes well. We feel it is the right time to take our brand across India and feel confident that it will be received very well.  We have also begun a 120 minute delivery service called Instabanya that is currently available in Hyderabad. Customers can now get their orders delivered within 120 minutes which will help in greater satisfaction and customer retention. This service will be made available in other cities very shortly.

Q4. Who are your target audience? Does Localbanya also appeal to the older age groups who prefer the hands on shopping experience still?
Our primary target audience is the modern, urban woman in the age bracket of 30-40 – specifically, home-makers, young mothers and working professionals, who value the convenience and the amount of time that’s saved by shopping online for groceries.

With technology becoming an integral part of the human experience like never before, people from older age groups are embracing our service and using in frequently. . In fact, we are amazed to see senior citizens ordering from Localbanya’s App due to the benefits and handiness of ordering online.

Q5. What words or thoughts of inspiration do you live by that can motivate other upcoming entrepreneurs?
You really have to have belief in your vision. It may take time for people to come around but if you are not able to completely believe in your idea, it will show to others. Always be open to the opinion of others when you are looking for feedback. Rigidity will hurt you in the long run. And finally, look for a mentor. Find someone that you look up to that has been down the road you are embarking on. It will be of immense help and you undertake this journey.