Bundled commerce

This is a story of my second innings. No, it was neither pre-planned or inspired by second career – post-retirement – celebrated so fairytale like nowadays. What if I tell you that it was quick commerce (Q-commecre/E-commerce) that germinated the seed of entrepreneurship in someone who belonged to a pedigreed service class lineage? And it all started with a hoi polloi item, a toilet (or bathing) soap that I needed since I am yet to get habituated to that modern day wonder, shower gel and loofa. Given the fact that most of us have transitioned to Q/E-commerce, I too thought that ordering one would be a piece of cake. But I was in for a big surprise! A single bar of bathing soap was simply not there at all. In any of 3 or 4 popular Q/E-commerce platforms that I tried. What was available instead were bundled packs of 4 to 6 bars each. It was even more surprising because these very platforms changed our habits in the first place by telling us not to stock anything; instead get it just in time! In practice, now we were nudged to hoard. But why to heed to mundane concepts like consumer preferences when there are data, algorithm, and now, AI?

I could have still managed if bundled pack contained different variety of soaps. Even if I were to take bath a number of times daily, I was looking at stock worth months. Same was the case with some other common FMCG like detergent powder for washing machines. Gone were the days when one could have 1 kg pack, today one is more likely to face `smart’ choices e.g. 6 kg packs. A single pack of glucose biscuits? Forget it. Indeed, it has started looking as if I am visiting likes of Costco and Sam’s Club.

However, need being the need, did I have any option but to buy these bundled items? Soon, my cozy apartment started filling up with soaps, detergent powder, and biscuits. In my case, necessity was the mother of enterprise. Since my home had started looking more like a warehouse, I took a cue from Shark Tank India and started my own start-up. I simply started un-bundling those bundled commerce packs and began my own retail journey: direct (D2C) sale to my neibhours tailored to their specific requirement and not to my profitability. Now everyday I browse these Q/E-commerce Apps diligently to see what all can I add to my repository. As I am told that while affordability is an issue in the developed nations but not so in our country, I am hopeful that sooner than later only bundled packs of iPhone would be sold on these platforms.

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