Executive Summary
BigBasket, one of India’s leading online grocery platforms, partnered with Redseer to understand why a large chunk of digitally savvy consumers were still not shopping on its platform in 2020, despite the COVID-19 ramp-up. While these users were active online, they weren’t converting into grocery buyers. Using a mix of data-driven research and customer profiling, Redseer identified untapped user segments, uncovered the key reasons holding them back, and helped design a clear strategy to bring them on board.
About the Client
BigBasket was India’s largest online grocery delivery platform in 2020, offering a wide assortment of fresh produce, staples, FMCG, and household essentials. With strong brand equity among digital shoppers and operational depth across cities, BigBasket has built a loyal user base in the online grocery space.
The Strategic Imperative
Even though more people in India were shopping online, many are still hesitant when it comes to buying groceries digitally. A large number of users were aware of platforms like BigBasket but continue to shop from local kirana stores or supermarkets. The challenge wasn’t a lack of awareness but converting that awareness into action.
Key questions included:
- Which consumer cohorts show high potential for conversion?
- What are the key barriers, actual gaps, or perceptions preventing trials?
- How do these users compare channel choices across online, kiranas, and modern trade?
- What strategic interventions can drive first-time use and loyalty?
Redseer’s Strategic Engagement
A structured, insight-driven approach was executed to decode non-user behaviour:
- Cohort Segmentation and Persona Definition
Segmented non-users into distinct personas, including Mature Couples, Young Modern Duos, Traditional Families, and Bachelors, based on lifestyle, digital behavior, and grocery buying patterns - Consumer Research and Journey Mapping
Conducted in-depth interviews to map current shopping habits, online channel perceptions, and friction points in user journeys - Perception and Value Proposition Benchmarking
Evaluated BigBasket’s performance against offline and other online players on pricing, assortment, freshness, convenience, and delivery speed - Barrier Analysis and Fit Assessment
Identified behavioural and perception barriers specific to each cohort. Mapped readiness to convert based on digital fluency, openness to trial, and unmet needs - Engagement and Activation Touchpoints
Studied the type of media consumed and the different engagement touchpoints, covering OTT, corporate networks, and interest-led digital platforms
Outcomes & Impact
Redseer delivered a clear path to unlock non-user conversions:
- Identified high-potential user cohorts representing over 55% of non-users with high digital maturity and strong openness to trying online grocery
- Diagnosed key perception gaps, especially around pricing, assortment depth, and brand familiarity that limit trial behaviour
- Outlined targeted marketing strategies to bridge these gaps, including platform-specific campaigns on OTT and digital channels
- Developed a persona-driven action toolkit that enabled structured targeting, content planning, and value proposition refinement across the top digitally active but non-transacting segments
This engagement demonstrated the considerable value-add that lies in the detailed study of consumer perspective, and basing strategies on the same. The recommendations included communication revamps, logistics efforts, marketing & branding interventions, and selection optimization, which helped the client to enable large-scale user activations. – Kushal Bhatnagar, Associate Partner, Redseer
What This Means for the Industry
Post-COVID, India’s online grocery segment entered a phase where expanding beyond early adopters is essential for sustained growth. The challenge was no longer awareness but conversion. Platforms that decoded why digitally aware users held back and addressed those barriers with precision led the next wave of category expansion. Deep consumer segmentation, behaviour mapping, and targeted activation strategies were core to building durable scale in eGrocery.
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