The arrival of digitization and omnicality has put on the table a wide variety of ways of making purchases. We can do it both in physical store and online, or even we have the possibility to make a combination of both. If we focus on selling exclusively online, this comfort has caused a more demanding customer profile to proliferate, not only is it content to shop at any time and from anywhere, but it also values the immediacy in the delivery of the product.

Considering that the recent health crisis has led to the growth of digital shopping, (76% of the Spanish Internet population already uses the network as the main shopping channel, according to the annual study ecommerce IAB Spain), it is not surprising that in just 10 months 30 new companies of q-commerce (quick commerce) have appeared in Western Europe. The aim of this delivery mode is to deliver the products to consumers in less than 30 minutes.

We had already seen how this business model had successfully burst into the delivery service of food at home through companies such as Globo, just eat or Gorillas, also in Spain. A success in a format that now opens the doors to other niches such as electronics or textiles. And this is where the retail sector begins to play its part.

A new scenario with possibilities

Las últimas noticias que llegan desde el otro lado del charco, a través de la consultora Bain & Company, anuncian que las startups de reparto todavía no han alcanzado rentabilidad. Una situación que les obliga a buscar alianzas con otros sectores que les ayuden a aumentar su volumen de pedido para lograr llegar a cosechar un EBIT del 4% al 6%. Ante el escenario que se avecina, es lógico que las empresas que operan en Europa comiencen a prevenir riesgos, sostiene la compañía Openbravo.

De hecho, Glovo anunció el pasado septiembre un acuerdo con Fnac para ofrecer más de 10.000 artículos a través de q-commerce. Una iniciativa a la que se suman supermercados como Aldi o Dia y marcas de ropa como C&A. La intención es construir el mayor 'centro comercial' on demand del mercado, extendiendo este tipo de entregas a una amplia gama de productos.

This context gives way to new scenarios and challenges for retail trade, says the aforementioned omnicanal platform. First of all, if you decide to join q-commerce you will have to adapt your physical stores to the hyper-localized delivery service offered by companies such as Uber eats, acting as intermediaries and with the timeliness and speed of delivery in the hands of the seller.

Another option for the retailer would be to create its own quick delivery solution. This is how legacy retailers are born, which adapt their delivery processes with the support of robotic warehouses, combine direct sales and the riders collection point, or give way to the opening of dark stores, stores that act only as small warehouses and are not open to the public, as we have told you in recent months.

In all of these scenarios, Openbravo considers efficient inventory control and management to be essential in the preparation centers, using strategies such as cross-docking, which consists in bringing a downloaded product quickly from an arrival transport to an exit vehicle, in the dark stores and with a detailed forecast of demand achieved by daily tracking of orders.