‘Bring It To Me’ Economy: A Touch of Digital Magic
Brian was a kid who loved bedtime stories, and every day his mother picked a new book for his bedtime story. One day, his mother read him the Japanese folktale “The Magic Mortar.” In this folktale, the magic mortar gave whatever its owner wished for until he says stop. Brian was mighty impressed and wanted one for him. The very next day, he saw his mother ordering groceries from an app, and he wanted to know how it works. When explained, Brian exclaimed that the app is the magic mortar he was looking for.
Pretty interesting, isn’t it?
Little did we realize that we all have a magical tool in our pockets to make our lives easier. We can enjoy the comfort of our home and make everything reach our front door.
Yes, you are thinking it right. It is called — ‘Bring it to me’ or simply ‘to Me’ economy.
So, what exactly is the ‘Bring it to me’ economy?
The products and services are right at your doorstep instead of you getting in your car and going to the store every time. Starting right from fertilizers for your garden to vegetables for sumptuous cooking, you get every item online.
Furthermore, ‘time’ has become a valuable currency and today’s customers are willing to bear the cost if it reduces their workload. Also, businesses have started realizing that they need to go a step beyond the digital realm to retain customers. So, front door delivery options have become the new normal.
The Role of Technology
On the other hand, silently, our economy is moving ahead with a plethora of advancements and innovations. Technology is the leading player that drives the rapid economic growth of every country, including ours. With the cool trends springing up every day, shoppers expect more like same-day delivery and technology inclusion into their lifestyle.
(i) Financial Technology
Fintech’s biggest contribution to this evolution is the digital money transfer services, as economic growth is highly connected with financial inclusion. Digital wallets were a huge hit to pull many customers to ‘bring it to me’ economy lifestyle. They are widely accepted right from a street vendor to huge shopping centers, which make their transactions quicker. Mobile payment apps and gateways help in hassle-free and secure money flow during transactions. They also assist in tracking and analyzing the customer’s spending habits and preferences to bring matching products and advertisements.
BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) gives the customer the comfort of purchasing their desired products anytime with the ‘pay later’ option. Even Fintechs can now customize loans and insurance for the assistants helping in delivery service. Thus, fintechs helps businesses in building a friendly and personalized approach to the customers.
(ii) Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Technology
Many grocers and FMCG companies have started incorporating AI & ML technologies to capture their target segment. The virtual fitting room is the buzz during this pandemic. A customer can virtually try on clothes, accessories, shoes, or watches and check if it fits them in a 360-degree view. Even the shoppers can visualize a 3D furniture model to check if it fits their environment and space before making an order. So, there is a virtual solution to everything using artificial intelligence and augmented reality technologies in today’s digital world.
Delivery models like Autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) with lockers, droids, and drones are state-of-the-art in the regular delivery service with their super-fast and reliable features. AGVs with lockers boost the delivery system even on Sundays and late nights, where human effort is least expected. On the other hand, drones will help in reaching the product (up to 15kg) in the rural areas at a relatively high average speed. Droids are small autonomous vehicles that relatively travel slowly on the sidewalks for doorstep delivery. With these innovations, we are on the way to reduce human intervention in delivery systems.
(iii) Blockchain Technology
Blockchain technology guards the customers’ information involved in the process and avoids any digital breaches and other cyber-attacks due to its centralized nature. It builds the customers’ trust in their privacy and the security of digital assets. It also increases sales and streamlines payment processing with high efficiency.
What awaits us in the future?
The ‘Bring it to me’ economy has gained its popularity by bringing services home. Be it personal grooming or professional cleaning, or any other service; the customers are ready to avail them.
Nowadays, people are redefining their satisfaction based on memorable experiences and interactions. Businesses need to put their heart and soul into providing their best customer experience to reinforce and market their brand digitally.
Be it a simple emoji that brings a smile or the level of service offered, businesses are now in a race against themselves to turn their products and customers as their brand ambassadors because the end is not the supermarket shelves but the customer’s doorstep.
