UNIVERSITY OF CALCUTTA

Project Report
(Submitted for the Degree of B.Com. Honours in Finance under University of Calcutta)

Title of the Project

E-Commerce – A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF ONLINE INSTANT
DELIVERY SERVICE – A CASE STUDY ON BLINKIT.

Submitted by
Name of the Candidate: Isha Kejriwal
Registration Number:
Name of the College: The Bhawanipur Education Society College
College UID:
C.U. Roll Number:

Supervised by
Name of the Supervisor: Prof. Dushyant Chaturvedi
Name of the College:The Bhawanipur Education Society College
Month and the Year of Submission:

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 SUPERVISOR’S CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Ms. Isha Kejriwal a student of b com. Honours in accounting & finance
of THE BHAWNIPUR EDUCASTION SOCIETY C0LLEGE under the University of
Calcutta has worked under my supervision and guidance for project work and prepare a
Project Report with the title E-Commerce – A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF ONLINE
INSTANT DELIVERY SERVICE – A CASE STUDY ON BLINKIT.

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 STUDENT DECLARATION
Hear by declare that the project work with the title E-Commerce – A STUDY ON IMPACT
OF ONLINE INSTANT DELIVERY SERVICE – A CASE STUDY ON BLINKIT
submitted by me for the practical fulfilment of the degree of b.com. honors in accounting &
finance under the university of Calcutta is my original work and has not been submitted
earlier to any other university or instruction for the fulfilment of the requirement for any
course of study. I also declare that no chapter of this manuscript in whole or in part has been
incorporated in this report from any earlier work done by me. However, extracts of any
literature which has been used for this report has been duly acknowledged providing details
of such literature in these reference.

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 ACKNOWLEDMENT
I want to thank a lot of people and organizations for helping me with this project. First, I'm
grateful to the University of Calcutta for letting me do this project. Also, a big thank you to
my project guide Prof. Dushyant Chaturvedi who guided me and helped make this project
successful. I want to shout out to my college library for providing all the books and
magazines I needed. And of course, a huge thanks to my family, friends, and everyone else
who supported me directly or indirectly throughout this project.

Thank you all so much.

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 INDEX

SL No. Particulars Page No.

1) Chapter no.1 Introduction 06

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 CHAPTER NO.1

INTRODUCTION

INTROCUTION ON E-COMMERCE

E-commerce means buying and selling stuff online. Instead of going to a physical store, you
can shop on websites or apps using your phone or computer. It's like having a virtual
marketplace right at your fingertips. This makes shopping super easy and convenient because
you can do it from anywhere, anytime. E-commerce has changed the way businesses work,
allowing them to sell their products to people all over the world without needing a physical
store. It's like having the whole world as your marketplace.

ONLINE SHOPPING OF FOOD AND GROCERY

Food and groceries refer to the items you buy regularly to eat and maintain your household.
This includes things like fruits, vegetables, dairy products, cleaning supplies, and toiletries,
etc. Food and groceries are really important for every home. In India, more and more people
are starting to buy groceries online. This is because life in cities is fast, and people don't
always have time to go to the store. When you shop online, you have lots of choices, it's easy
to pay, and you can often get discounts. Plus, the groceries are delivered right to your door,
which is super convenient. Instead of spending time going to the store and waiting in lines,
people are choosing to shop for groceries online because it saves time and effort.

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 LITERATURE REVIEW
A literature review is a search and evaluation of the available literature in your given subject
or chosen topic area. It documents the state of the art with respect to the subject or topic you
are writing about. The present chapter gives an overview on the available literature which
was referred to by or studies to have a deep understanding of the topic of research. Online
Grocery sector is at its nascent stage in India and creating an impact on human life on day-to-
day basis, so, it is very important to study this topic deeply

Banerjee. A and T. Banerjee conducted a study on “Web Content Analysis of Online

Grocery. Shopping Web Sites in India” In this paper the authors evaluate online grocery
shopping web sites catering to customers primarily in India. The process of evaluation has
been carried out in 3 parts; by comparing the web content on their homepages, analysing
customer reviews and also analysing their business performance as summarized on public
web sites that use search optimization tools and analytical processes

Baheti . V and L. Kaushal conducted a study on “The analysis of consumers’ attitude

towards online grocery shopping- A case study in Indian Context”. This study has been
carried out to examine the impact of varied attributes on the consumers’ attitude towards
online grocery shopping. Perceived Cost, Convenience, Risk and Enjoyable are the four
attributes examined in the study.

Kramer in Netherland conducted a study The Unravelling of Apparel : Online Shopping

Behaviour The focus of this research is to obtain a better understanding in the determinants of
online shopping for apparel and the interaction between consumers' use of the internet for
information search and their choice of channel (i.e., brick-and-mortar stores or the internet)
for their final purchase.

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 OBJECTIVES OF STUDY
1. Understanding How Where You Live Affects What You Buy Online with Blinkit
in Kolkata: We want to see if different types of people in Kolkata buy different things
on Blinkit based on where they live.

2. Figuring Out If Happy Customers Keep Coming Back to Blinkit: We're

investigating if people who are happy with their purchases from Blinkit tend to shop
there again.

3. Finding Out Why People in Kolkata are Switching from Regular Grocery Stores
to Blinkit: We're looking into why people are choosing to shop online at Blinkit
instead of going to physical stores for groceries.

4. Checking How Much People Know About Blinkit.com: We want to know if people
in Kolkata are aware of Blinkit and how much they know about it.

5. Exploring What Makes Customers Happy with Blinkit: We're trying to figure out
what specific things make customers satisfied when they shop on Blinkit.

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 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
Every study has its limits, and it's important to be upfront about them. Here are the things we
need to keep in mind about this study:

1. Limited to Kolkata: We only looked at what's happening in Kolkata. This means our
findings might not apply everywhere else.

2. Focused on Blinkit.com: We mainly studied Blinkit.com. Other websites might have

different experiences.

3. Small Sample Size: We couldn't talk to everyone, so our study only includes a small
group of people. This might not represent everyone's experiences.

4. Time Matters: Our info might become outdated if things change with technology or
if new ideas come up.

5. Hoping for Honest Answers: We're assuming everyone we talked to gave us truthful
information. But sometimes people might not remember things correctly or might not
tell the whole truth.

Despite these limits, we hope our study still gives some useful insights into online shopping
in Kolkata.

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 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Methodology is the systematic, theoretical analysis of the methods applied to a field if study.
It compromises the theoretical analysis of the body of methods and principles associated with
branch of knowledge.
Descriptive research is used in the presentation only.
Data Collection Method: The source of data includes primary and secondary data sources.

Primary Sources: Primary Data has been collected directly from sample respondents
through questionnaire and with the help of Interview.

Secondary Data: Secondary Data has been collected from textbooks, newspapers, magazines
and internet.

Sample Size:

Statistical Tool Used: Pie Chart, Graph and Percentage has been used to analyse the data
from various respondents.

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 CHAPTER 2

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK / NATIONAL AND

INTERNATIONAL SCENARIO

BENEFITS OF E-COMMERCE
Lower Overheads: Online stores don't require physical storefronts, which means they save
on expenses like rent, utilities, and maintenance. Additionally, they typically require fewer
staff members to manage operations, reducing labor costs.

Efficient Operations: E-commerce websites can streamline their operations, from inventory
management to order fulfillment, leading to cost savings that can be passed on to customers.

No Location Constraints: Online stores aren't limited by geographical location. They can
reach a wider audience without the need for multiple physical locations, allowing them to
benefit from economies of scale.

Reduced Transaction Costs: Online transactions often involve lower transaction fees
compared to in-person purchases. This can include credit card processing fees and other
associated costs.

Price Comparison: Online shoppers have easy access to price comparison tools and can
quickly find the best deals across various websites. This increased transparency encourages
competitive pricing among online retailers.

Promotional Strategies: Online retailers can implement dynamic pricing strategies, flash
sales, and targeted promotions more easily than brick-and-mortar stores. This flexibility
allows them to adjust prices based on demand and market conditions, attracting more
customers.

Lower Marketing Costs: Online advertising and marketing campaigns can be more cost-
effective than traditional advertising methods used by brick-and-mortar stores, allowing
online retailers to allocate more resources towards lowering prices.

Overall, the combination of lower overhead costs, operational efficiency, and competitive
market dynamics enables online stores to offer lower prices compared to their brick-and-
mortar counterparts.

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TYPE OF E-COMMERCE
E-Commerce or Electronics Commerce business models can generally be categorized in the
following

categories: -

 Business - to - Business (B2B)

 Business - to - Consumer (B2C)

 Consumer - to - Consumer (C2C)

 Consumer - to - Business (C2B)

 Business - to - Government (B2G)

 Government - to - Business (G2B)

 Government - to - Citizen (G2C)

BUSINESS TO BUSINESS [B2B]

In this business model, the company's website sells products to a middleman, like a
wholesaler. The wholesaler then sells those products to the end customers at their own retail
store. So, the wholesaler acts as the bridge between the company and the final customers.

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BUSINESS TO CONSUMER [B2C]

In a B2C (business-to-customer) model, a company sells its products directly to individual

customers. Customers can visit the company's website, browse through the products listed
there, choose what they want, and place an order. When a customer makes an order on the
website, the company receives a notification via email. After that, the company prepares and
dispatches the ordered product or goods to the customer's address. So, it's a simple process-
customer orders online, company gets notified, and then company sends the product to the
customer.

CONSUMER TO CUNSUMER [C2C]

In a C2C (consumer-to-consumer) business model, individuals can sell or rent out their own
assets, like houses, cars, or even just a room, by listing them on a website. This could be
anything from a personal website to a platform like Craigslist or eBay. The website might
charge a fee for this service, but not always. Other consumers looking for those kinds of
assets can browse the listings on the website and choose to buy or rent them directly from the
person who posted the listing. So, it's like a marketplace where regular people can buy and
sell directly to each other, using the website as a platform.

CONSUMER TO BUSINESS [C2B]

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In this model, a person visits a website that lists several businesses offering a specific service,
like personal or car loans. The person then sets a budget or specifies how much they're
willing to spend on that service. For instance, they might want to compare interest rates from
different banks. And once the person submits their budget or requirements, the business that
can meet those criteria within the specified budget contacts the person and provides their
services. It's like a platform where businesses compete to fulfill the customer's needs within
their budget, based on the information provided on the website.

BUSINESS TO GOVERNMENT [B2G]

In the B2G (business-to-government) model, websites act as platforms for government

agencies to interact with businesses. These sites are officially recognized by the government
and serve as channels for businesses to submit applications and exchange information with
government entities. They're like official gateways where businesses can communicate and
transact with the government.

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GOVERNMENT TO BUSINESS [G2B]

In the B2G (business-to-government) model, government agencies use websites to reach out
to businesses. These websites facilitate various functions like auctions, tenders, and
application submissions. It's a way for the government to engage with businesses efficiently,
allowing them to participate in auctions, submit tenders, and send applications through the
website.

GOVERNMENT TO CITIZEN [G2C]

In the G2C (government-to-citizen) model, government agencies use websites to connect

directly with citizens. These websites offer services like vehicle and machinery auctions, as
well as registration for vital documents such as birth, marriage, or death certificates. The
primary goal of G2C websites is to streamline the process of accessing government services
for citizens, reducing the time it takes to fulfill their requests. It's about making it easier and
faster for people to interact with the government online.

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 ADVANTAGES OF E-COMMERCE
E-commerce offers numerous advantages for business owners who prefer not to establish a
physical storefront. With e-commerce, you can create a cost-effective website to sell your
products online. Additionally, you can leverage various strategies to drive traffic to your e-
commerce store, enabling you to reach a broader audience. Here's a detailed breakdown of
some of the most significant benefits of e-commerce:

 Cost-effectiveness: Setting up an online store is generally more affordable than

establishing a physical storefront. You can save on expenses like rent, utilities, and
maintenance.

 Global reach: With an e-commerce website, you can reach customers beyond your
local area, potentially expanding your customer base globally.

 Convenience: E-commerce allows customers to shop anytime, anywhere, providing

them with convenience and flexibility.

 Lower barriers to entry: E-commerce reduces many of the traditional barriers to

starting a business, such as geographical limitations and the need for extensive
physical infrastructure.

 Enhanced customer insights: E-commerce platforms often provide valuable data

and analytics, allowing you to gain insights into customer behaviour and preferences
to improve your marketing and sales strategies.

 Improved scalability: E-commerce offers scalability, allowing you to easily expand

your business as it grows without the constraints of physical space.

 Targeted marketing: With e-commerce, you can implement targeted marketing

campaigns to reach specific customer segments based on demographics, interests, and
purchasing behaviour.

 Accessibility: E-commerce enables businesses to be accessible 24/7, allowing

customers to make purchases at their convenience. Overall, e-commerce presents
numerous opportunities for businesses to thrive in the digital age by providing cost-
effective, scalable, and accessible solutions for selling products and reaching a larger
audience.

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 DISADVANTAGES OF E COMMERCE
Absolutely, it's crucial to be aware of both the advantages and disadvantages of e-commerce.
While e-commerce offers numerous benefits, it also poses challenges, especially for those
less familiar with technology. Here's a rundown of some potential drawbacks of running an e-
commerce website:

 Technical challenges: Managing an e-commerce website requires technical skills and

knowledge of computers and technology. This can be challenging for individuals who
are not tech-savvy.

 Initial setup and maintenance: Setting up and maintaining an e-commerce website

involves various tasks such as website design, product uploading, security measures,
and software updates, which can be time-consuming and complex.

 Security concerns: E-commerce websites are vulnerable to security threats such as

data breaches, hacking, and fraud. Ensuring robust security measures to protect
customer information and transactions is essential but can be challenging.

 Competition: The e-commerce landscape is highly competitive, with numerous

businesses vying for customers' attention. Standing out from competitors and
attracting customers to your website can be challenging.

 Customer trust: Building trust with customers in the digital realm can be difficult,
especially for new or lesser-known e-commerce businesses. Establishing credibility
and providing excellent customer service is essential but can take time and effort.

 Logistics and fulfillment: Managing inventory, shipping, and order fulfillment

processes can be complex and time-consuming, especially as the volume of orders
increases. Ensuring timely delivery and managing returns and exchanges require
careful planning and coordination.

 Technical issues and downtime: E-commerce sites can have technical problems or
go down, which can lose sales. Fixing these issues fast is important but can be hard.
Despite challenges, e-commerce is a big opportunity for businesses to grow. They
need to be ready to solve problems and get the right help to succeed online.

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 OBJECTIVES OF E COMMERCE
The Objective of Ecommerce might differ based on the business, but generally they comprise
lower costs, increasing sales, and improving customer satisfaction.

Building More Customer Base

In today’s time, it has become mandatory for companies to increase their customer base. This
can be achieved by maintaining the quality of products and services and by offering some
additional value-added services. Hence, this acts as the primary objective of ecommerce
companies as it supplies trigger for the rapid growth in sales and overall profit.

Development of Business-Relationship

Ecommerce being the primary and the basic object, the business development can be done
through it. Because of ecommerce, as there is direct contact between the company and the
consumer, their business relationship is enhanced. Therefore, this objective of ecommerce
also leads to an increased serviceable area of the market for the company.

Increasing Brand Awareness

One of the most common reasons businesses opt to use online marketing is to enhance brand
awareness. When customers, through online channels, are introduced to a company or
product, it creates a stronger connection between them and the brand. This can steer you
towards sales opportunities, as well as enhanced loyalty among customers. Hence, for online
marketing campaigns to be effective, businesses must comprehend their goals and objectives.
This serves as another objective of ecommerce.

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 NATIONAL SCENARIO
Consumer Behaviour is influenced by many factors. These influences can be categorized as:
social, personal , psychological, and situational.

SOCIAL INFLUENCES

Social Class: Social class indicates people who are approximately equal in terms of their
incomes and social standing in the community.

Reference Groups: An individual may belong to many groups. Reference group is a group
which influences an individual because that individual is a member of a group or aspires to be
a member of some group.

Family: Family is primary reference group and as such it influences purchasing behaviour a
lot. Most people belong to at least two families in their lifetime.

Roles: In India, presently the children have become more active participants and shoppers.

An Opinion Leader: In every informal group, there may be one or more Opinion leader.

DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS

Population-Size: A country’s consumer behaviour shall be highly influenced by the

population size. More the population, more the income and more shopping will be done.

Age: Consumers of different age groups have different needs. At the same time, people
belonging to same age groups differ in many other ways; they tend to share a set of values
and common cultural experiences that they carry throughout life.

Gender: Differentiating by gender starts very early. Though the social attitudes to gender
discrimination are much reduced, but in terms of different requirements is a reality.

ECONOMIC FACTORS

Income: The distribution of wealth is of great interest to marketers since it determines which
groups have the greatest purchasing power and market potential.

Size of the Family: Size of the family influences consumer behaviour in terms of quantity to
be purchased per frequency and on the whole.

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Income Expectations: If the future income is to be appreciated, present expenditure may be
up. People buy flats, cars or big-ticket items, in expectation of future income.

Expenditure Pattern and Saving: People in different groups have different pattern of
expenditure and savings. People in lower income group spend more on food expenditure and
have little savings.

PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCES

Motivation: Different individuals have different needs even at one time ranging from
psychological to safety to social to esteem to self-realization needs, as shown by the order of
needs theory of Maslow.

Perception: Perception is the process through which ‘people select, organize and trigger to
the five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch’.

SELECTIVE ATTENTION

Selective Distortion: It means that people process information within their present state of
attitudes and beliefs. At times we read what we think rather than what is written.

Learning: Learning, in marketing context, indicates to immediate or expected changes in

consumer behaviour as a result of experience.

SITUATIONAL INFLUENCES

Circumstances, location and time also affect the consumer buying behaviour. Russell W. Belk
has classified the situational factors into five categories– Physical surroundings, social
surroundings, time perspective, reason for purchase, and the buyer’s momentary mood and
condition.

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 INTERNATIONAL SCENERIO
The emergence of a global market place has fuelled the growth and awareness of consumer
products across India. Due to the immense exposure of these global brands, there have been
major changes in perceptions of Indians as far as local brands are concerned. It was observed
that consumers tend to evaluate global brands in terms of better quality. Consumers exhibited
that global brands made them feel a part of the global consumer culture and gave them
recognition. It was also revealed that consumers preferred paying for brands which were
recognized as they gave them a sense of ‘global identity’. Not only did the consumers
associate global brands with quality but also trust. “If given a choice between global and a
local brand I would go in for a global brand for sure I mean Indian (local) brands are good
but not as good as the foreign ones in quality...technical expertise and designs. Global brands
are always upgrading themselves and keep coming out with new products all the time where
as local brands are pretty predictable”. For certain product categories local brands exhibited a
higher level of satisfaction and trust. “In terms of household products, it is only the Indian
retailer who can understand the mindset of the consumer. They know the tastes and
preferences rather the priorities of the Indians when buying a product. When I want to buy
butter or yogurt, I would only go in for Amul because of its quality and trust and not for any
foreign brand for sure”. “If I have to buy a car for travelling purpose. Like travelling for long
distances, it would be a TATA SUMO because of the trust that I have in TATA but for a status
symbol I would never go in for a local brand it would probably be Mercedes” pointed another
respondent. Quality and Trust was found to one of the major influencers for Consumer
perceptions of Global and Local Brands in the Indian food Industry possessing local brands.
Recognition and status had only a submissive role in respondent’s perceptions who owned a
local brand. Earlier Indians used to correlate to branded goods as luxury items but today due
to the immense exposure and more and more Indians travelling abroad there has been a
tremendous change in the way Indians perceive branded goods.

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 CHAPTER 3

PRESENTATION OF DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS

In this Chapter we have discussed the results of the study. The study was conducted with the
intention of finding the various important factors, frequency of online grocery purchases,
their satisfaction level towards the online grocery portals and their repurchasing behaviour. In
order to achieve the research objectives, data was analysed by using the various statistical
techniques. Demographic Profile of the respondents was presented in a Graphical form and
includes Gender, Age, Occupation, Income, Marital Status and Educational Qualifications.
One Way ANOVA test was used to investigate how Demographic profiles like Monthly
Income and Occupation of the respondents influence consumer’s Preference towards Blinkit.
Correlation and regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between
Consumer’s satisfaction level and their repurchase behaviour towards Blinkit. To analyse the
interrelationship among large numbers of variables and to explain these variables in term of
underlying dimensions, factor analysis was used as a reduction test in the present study.

Graphical Representation and Interpretation of Responses Collected

Through Primary Field

This section represents the demographic profile of the Respondents. The profile of the
respondents is presented in a Graphical form and includes the Gender, Age, Occupation,
Income, Marital Status and Educational Qualifications of the respondents. The main reason
for analysing the demographic profile of the respondents was to understand their background
as it plays an important role in determining the consumers’ preference and their purchasing
behaviour. Keeping in view the information on Gender, Age, Educational Qualification,
Occupation, Income, and Marital Status of the selected respondents was analysed and the
results are summarized below:

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 COMPANY PROFILE

Description
Developer of an online grocery delivery platform designed to connect users to local stores.
The company's platform offers a wide assortment of groceries, fruits and vegetables,
cosmetics, electronics, bakery items, and flowers, enabling consumers to purchase products
online and get them delivered to their homes.

Name – BLINTKIT formerly known as GROFERS

Founded – December, 2013

Status – Acquired/Merged
Employees – 3,711
Website – www.blinkit.com
Parent Co - ZOMATO
Founders – Albinder Dhindsa & Saurabh Kumar
Shareholders- SoftBank, Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital India

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 PRESENTATION, ANANALYSIS & FINDINGS
Representation and Interpretation on Impact of Gender of the Respondents on their
Preference towards BlinkIt.
Table1.1

Gender Number Percentage

Male 57 58.8%
Female 40 41.2%
Prefer not to say 00 0.00%

Interpretation
Graph shows that 58.8% of the respondents in the study were males and 41.2% were female
respondents which indicate that the females are not only home makers, rather they are home
managers.

Representation and Interpretation on Impact of Age of the Respondents on their

Preference towards BlinkIt.
Table 1.2

Age Group Number Percentage

Less than 20 20 20.6%
21-30 Years 68 70.1%
31-40 Years 05 05.2%
41-50 Years 03 03.1%
Above 50 Years 01 01.1%

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Interpretation
The majority of respondents (70.1%) were aged 21-30, as they find online shopping
convenient. Younger than 20-year-olds (20.6%) also like it. Only a small percentage of people
aged 31-40 (5.2%) prefer online shopping. Those aged 41-50 (3.1%) are hesitant because
they want to see products before buying. And those above 50 years old are just 1%, possibly
because they're less familiar with technology and online services.

Representation and Interpretation on Impact of the Occupation of the Respondents on

their Preference towards BlinkIt.
Table 1.3

Occupation Number Percentage

Student
Working
Self Employed
Housewife
Athlete

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