Page 35 - ITLN May - June 2022 issue

(L-R): Meheriar Patel, Group Chief Information Officer, Digital Solutions of Jeena & Company; Harsh Vaidya, CEO & Co-Founder, WareIQ;
Amol Prasadi, the Head of Supply Chain from Metro Brands; Aijaz Dadarkar, Regional Business Head (West) from FreshtoHome and
Amitabh Singh Postmaster General, Maharashtra Circle, India Post.

English. I would say there is a need to and you have to have a keen sense of
develop platforms which cater to local what the customer will like. The second
languages. I give credit to Google and I see a lot of platforms part is the data that you continuously
Facebook for what they have done just in English. Even collect over a period of time, and what
by going into the local language.” when I see grocery you do with it. We need to check a
Aijaz Dadarkar said FreshtoHome predictive analysis model or a customer
catered to 10 lakh orders on a monthly platforms, we see people shopping pattern model. I would say
basis. “The planning part of it is critical struggle with speaking data engineering, adaptability and speed
since we deal with fresh perishable and navigating the are the three key points in e-commerce
products. We have grown six times in app which is purely CX design.”
the last 15 months. However, it’s a very in English. I would About regional linguistic hurdles,
complicated growth process, because if say there is a need Patel said, “Linguistic hurdles are
we promise something to the customer sometimes a challenge particularly
and don’t deliver that then it becomes to develop platforms in rural areas where you don’t have
a broken promise and those customers which cater to local English as the language standard.
don’t return.” languages. Solutions are available on Google today
He added that FreshtoHome where English is converted to the
followed the offline-to-online strategy. Amol Prasadi regional language and its local dialect to
Metro Brands
“We follow the OtoO (online to offline) ensure quick delivery.”
strategy where we open retail shops However, Patel warned of accuracy
across Kolhapur, Sangli, Pune, Mumbai, India Post has implemented in project when it came to such translations.
Aurangabad, Satara, etc. The strategy mode – parcel network optimisation – “We need to ask whether it is accurate.
involves getting customers to our offline because parcels are always growing. All To start off, it could be an easy way
stores, show them how committed we this involved boosting our infrastructure to adapt but in the longer run, there
are in providing meat products and with about 138 odd nodal handling hubs would be a need for more collaboration
then transferring them to our online across the country.” linguistically. Ultimately, it’s good to
app. This way, they’re comfortable with About the need for a robust platform, have a regional linguistic platform
transacting with us online, and we Meheriar Patel, hailing from an because it gives more choice to the
have given them a face to the name in organisation with a 121-year-old legacy, customer. It would also be a good way to
the market. So, every quarter comes drew attention to how e-commerce tap unexplored markets in rural areas.”
with new learnings and we are at the could not thrive without a robust Vaidya remarked that with the
forefront of tapping the potential and digital platform. “E-commerce can’t customers today buying from
taking it up further.” happen without a strong backbone of everywhere be it social e-commerce
Coming to how the India Post was technology. Another aspect that is vital platforms or Whatsapp-enabled
navigating going digital, Amitabh Singh for e-commerce service providers is the platforms spurring the need for agility
said, “As an evolutionary change, while customer experience or the CX design. among supply chain stakeholders. “As
the telephone and the internet were very A great amount of focus has to be on a supply chain platform you have to
bad for the letter market, ultimately the where we are and what we want to do as support every channel and build supply
Internet is a great friend of the parcel. it will be evolving over a period of time. chain design to mimic the customers’
It has helped every service provider in CX design team has got touch points demand pattern. Data would be at the
the industry. India Post realised this which are both internal and external. centre of this and stakeholders would
quite early on. Over the last five years, Market information is critical to this have to be collaborative about it.”

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