◊ By Rutaksha Rawat

Note: To access the contact details of all organic suppliers, organic shops and organic brands in India, buy Organic Directory

1] STOCK FAKE ORGANIC PRODUCTS: This has to be the biggest faux pas an organic store could make—ever. And it could lead to much anguish, disrepute and, more, possibly, if you’re not careful.

Some brands loosely use the term ‘organic’ to indicate their products are healthy but, in reality, aren’t organic at all. This, you need to be aware of and guard your store against fiercely.

You need to attract only authentic organic product suppliers, who are offering legitimately organic products.

2] SKIMP ON THE LOCATION: You’d want your store to be discovered—and discovered by the adequate demographic. So, economising on location would not be a fruitful endeavour and could lead (and has, for many, in the past) to failure even if your products are excellent.

The location needs to be on the ground floor (preferably) so people of all ages can easily access it, unless it’s in a mall, where elevators and escalators are available.

The location also needs to be in a high footfall area where conscious consumers are available on regular basis. Both are critical.

If you cannot afford the high rentals of a prime location, forget about brick and mortar and opt for an e-commerce store, which also comes with its own set of challenges. But it would cost less.

3] IGNORE MARGINS: It’s wonderful that you’re stocking a diverse range of products but try not to stock products that don’t offer healthy margins. You would need to pay your bills and turn in a profit, so wafer thin margins won’t do in the long run. It is not sustainable.

The more prudent thing to do would be to invite quotations from hundreds of organic product vendors and then sift through the best products and margins before onboarding vendors.

You need to stock a wide range of products. But you need not stock all the brands under the sun. Identify which vendors offer the best margins while also offering great authentic products.

4] OFFER A VERY LIMITED RANGE, MOSTLY FROM ONE BRAND ALONE: I have witnessed some well-placed stores get snubbed by consumers because they have only one or two brands available and the range is limited to staples alone. This does not keep serious consumers coming back as they presume you would never have what they need. They simply go elsewhere, and stay there.

Try to keep a bit of everything—snacks, chocolates, pickles, jams, home cleaners, sanitary pads, etc. Besides staples, of course.

5] ONLY STOCK EXPENSIVE ITEMS: New consumers have heard that organic food is more expensive that regular food. Pull them in by proving them wrong. Make them stay.

Tie up with local organic farmers for cheaper organic staples and food supplies. Ensure your store has something for everyone.

6] DO NOT OFFER HOME DELIVERY: Consumers tend to prefer outlets with home delivery. Especially now, with the pandemic in the backdrop. Do make this available from the very beginning and make it known to consumers that this service is available.

7] FORGET YOUR SOCIAL ETIQUETTE: Once you open your store, you need to make your social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). These serve as the face of your store in the online world and remind people that you exist in the real world!

8] UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF WHATSAPP: You need to build equity with your consumers. Each consumer’s phone number needs to be logged in and a whatsapp group created under your store name to convey greetings on national holidays, as well as, news about new products, offers, sales, etc. These will all directly or indirectly lead to sales, or word of mouth at the very least.

To contact suppliers of authentic organic products for your organic retail store, please write in at [email protected]

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To register as an organic product supplier also, please write in at [email protected]

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