The web, at your service, at your doorstep

It is always easy when you know where to eat and what to eat. But if not, won't it be ideal to have a friend who tells you where exactly to go and, a waiter who guides you through the menu to find the dish you want to have?

Click here to download the .pdf version of the graphic

A month-and-a-half-old company, ‘StorElf,' in Chennai takes the burden of ordering food for home delivery. Modelled on an older venture in Bangalore, Amrutash Misra's initiative is based on innovating on the call centre side. “We are trying to train our employees in food, tastes, allergies to ease the customer's experience of ordering the food he wants,” he says. Feedback from customers, details of those who prefer to order home delivery on certain days of the week and recommendations are also keyed in to ensure that regular users avail themselves of discounts from restaurants that have tied up with his company.

The idea of finding a plumber, a cobbler, or someone to collect garbage from your house at the click of a mouse, or getting a packet of broccoli and cereal delivered after a single call is indeed fascinating, but there are not too many people who swear by these services. The e-commerce industry that is vastly dominated by travel actually has hundreds of service-oriented sites going live every day. The environment has also brought in more pressure on these ventures to succeed.

“There were about four vegetable delivery sites and two grocery delivery ones launched in south India two years ago. All of them have disappeared, and at least ten new ones exist now,” says IT consultant Vishal Karikurva, recalling how almost all online vegetable delivery models failed in the U.S. “Marketing is very important, which these initiatives can't afford, at least for now. And, they need to focus more on the calling part to retain their customers rather than the website.”

While almost all metros have at least one carwash and cleaning service provider, most have several who promise to provide drivers and local help for hire. “It does not often work out because you are not sure of the quality and trustworthiness. But once you are satisfied, you hang in there,” says Mala Kumar, a homemaker in Chennai, who calls for a plumber or an electrician through a site. “Even in case the of appliances, the toll-free numbers of service centres are not accessible often, but when you approach some of these start-ups, they get it done within two days because of their association with the companies, all for an extra Rs. 100,” she says.

Since a lot of these businesses require scaling, they will need deep pockets to survive. And since most of them are labour-intensive, the training costs can be huge too, reckons Arnab Bose, a social media expert. “They might fail if they do not address the last-mile connect with the customer.” Also, now with the smart phones, these start-ups need to have mobile apps.

Today's entrepreneurs require people relevant to their business, and funds that can be channelled to add value to the venture. The flash effects-laden website with video testimonials and clippings of how they work, functional numbers, addresses, feedback, and follow-up plans show that many of these ventures are planned in a very intelligent way.

Right model

“These are IIT and IIM grad entrepreneurs who believe in ideas and innovation, and they are tapping into an existing need. So, if they get the model right, they will surely succeed,” says Mr. Bose.