Independent Grocers Can Learn from Bookstores to Combat Amazon
And independent grocers can learn from their indie bookstore brethren, especially now that Amazon and other online retailers are taking on the grocery industry. This isn’t to say that independent grocers shouldn’t be in the ecommerce business — they definitely should. You bet those indie bookstores have online shops; after all, where else are consumers going to turn for those hard-to-find titles?
What I took away from the NPR interview was the idea that independents have to play up their strengths, of which they have plenty. One is the burgeoning desire of consumers to shop local businesses. A recent Small Business Week survey from Netsertive found that 60 percent had shopped at a small or local store within the past six months, and another 10 percent had shopped in one at some point. The most telling data point was that 43 percent visit a local store when they need something within two to three days, while only 29.1 percent use Amazon.
While the survey obviously covers all of retail — food decisions are generally more immediate than two to three days — it still provides valuable information on how consumers view small local businesses. They are visiting your stores, and you are a trusted source.
Also, as happened in the book segment, with some of the big-box chains going out of business altogether — we’re seeing some of this occurring as well in grocery — indies were uniquely positioned to fill in the gap.