Have an internet connection? If yes, then you can now you can turn your home into a restaurant by selling food to millions from your doorstep! Well, like all other things, eCommerce also gives you an opportunity to start your home-based food selling business. Therefore, if you are skilled at cooking, you can now turn your hobby into a lucrative business. Cater to the broad market of foodies in your area and make money for yourselves.
These kinds of businesses are ideal for homemakers, retired personnel, students, professionals who wish to earn some extra bucks by selling homemade food products and items or even those who want to feed others with their delicious food. And all that from the comforts of your sweet home!
eCommerce has become a reliable medium of trade along with transparent communication, and you can bank on this property to get high returns and profit. You need to have a keen sense of business, frame appropriate strategies, and have the will to take different initiatives. Once you can get the first part right, you can quickly think about starting a home-based business for food selling.
How To Achieve It?
A combination of business acumen and logistical support can help you reap enormous profits in the food business. You need one or two computers and a high-speed internet connection. Unlike other types of conventional businesses where hefty capital investment is required, you can quickly start an internet business with even less than half the capital.
There are different types of food-based online businesses that you can start from your home. Some of them include:
- Selling a variety of dishes
- Homemade lunch and dinner
- Freshly baked, bakery products and confectionaries
- Home-processed dairy items
- Culinary items, such as spices, pickles, grocery items, etc.
Perhaps the first thing that you need to do to sell food is to create your website. This site is the first significant platform you can utilize to promote your items and make them popular with your target audience. Ideally, your site should have functional and optimum Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) applications so that it can rank well in the search engine and grasp the notice of prospective customers.
You can even list your products on Amazon and begin selling them right away. Thus, if an individual sitting in Lucknow wants to have a Bhakarwadi, a traditional Maharashtrian dish, he can easily order it online through your website or Amazon listing and relish it in their comfort.
It should also have a well-sorted and organized list of the dishes and other culinary products (if any) that you wish to sell. Make sure the items are sorted by their origin, time of consumption, etc. Always remember that there should be no scope for the customer to judge the dish regarding taste, smell, or feel, so you need to provide enough information about the final meal and also attach photos that are tempting enough for the customer to order.
Make sure the description offered with every product has enough sensory elements to connect with the customer and push him to make a purchase.
Reaching The Customer
Next is proper logistical support. After the customer orders your food, it is now your responsibility to deliver it to the customer’s doorstep. To have a seamless delivery process in place, you need to come up with an efficient logistical support system. One essential requirement related to selling food online is that it needs to be delivered fresh. It is of no use providing stale food to customers.
Therefore, you need to have an efficient courier or delivery support team. A slow delivery will affect business and also create bad reviews for other potential customers.
The fastest way to reach customers directly is by tying up with a hyperlocal delivery partner. Shiprocket has introduced hyperlocal delivery services that it allows sellers to ship essential items, including food items, groceries, etc to customers staying within 15 km from the pickup location. The main benefit of this model is, that you get to ship your food products within just a couple of hours or a maximum within 24 hours.
Shiprocket hyperlocal services have currently tied up with two of the most experienced hyperlocal delivery partners, Wefast, Dunzo, and Shadowfax Local. It is currently operational across 12 cities in the country. To know about the list of cities, click here.
Ship with the SARAL app
Shiprocket has recently launched its hyperlocal delivery application – SARAL. As the name suggests, the app makes it extremely easy for shop owners, hypermarkets, and even hompreneurs to ship items to their customers.
All you have to do is download the SARAL app from the play store, log in with your phone number, add order and supporting information like price, weight, and quantity, choose your delivery partner and get going.
SARAL is a bilingual application. This means you can operate it in both English and Hindi. This makes it extremely easy for everyone to access it and deliver orders on the go!
Final Thoughts
Last but not the least; you need to comply with all the necessary government regulations related to the food business. Procure any necessary food licenses and provide information about them on your website. This way you can win the trust of your customers as they know the item follows the food standards and norms laid by the government.
Yes. If you follow the guidelines listed by courier partners and use overnight shipping, you can ship perishables.
Perishable items must be specially packaged and shipping must be planned in a way so that they arrive before they begin to deteriorate.
Hi
I am a very good cook and want to start tiffen service. What help can u do for that.
Hi
I want to start sell food from my home pls suggest how I can start
I am planning to start my own online shopping site? kindly let me know you team will support for that?
Hi…. I am planning to start to sell home made food iitems/products through online…. Pls help here
Hi ,Sir , I am planning to start a online home cooked food business from home . So , please guide me how to start and what are the requirement for the basic start up . I stay at Siliguri ( west bengal )
Hi Soni,
Currently, we don’t offer shipping for home-cooked food. But you can definitely check out other hyperlocal vendors in your area! Thank you for your interest.
Regards,
Srishti Arora
Hi
We are looking for a coordination for sweet delivery setup. Would appreciate to know if you guys work out in this areas also ?
Thanks
Hi Zainul,
We are extremely sorry to inform that we do not offer to ship perishable goods currently! You can get in touch with local distributors to help you better. Hope this is helpful!
Thanks and regards,
Srishti Arora
I am interested in selling papads of different varieties, is it possible to do on line, i reside in mumbai.
Hi Shridhar,
Unfortunately, we don’t assist with the shipping of perishable goods on our platform as of now! Another solution would be to get in touch with a local distributor in your area. Hope this helps!
Thanks and Regards,
Srishti Arora
I am looking for a way when i can sell out my homemade continental or baked cuisines, when and when order comes. kindly suggest or guide.
Hi Viveka,
Unfortunately, we don’t assist with the shipping of perishable goods on our platform as of now! Another solution would be to get in touch with a local distributor in your area. Hope this helps!
Thanks and Regards,
Srishti Arora
hello.
i plan to sell a very nutritious health powder prepared by my mom
Hi Anuradha,
Absolutely! Just follow this link – http://bit.ly/2oAPEN7, to sign up with Shiprocket and begin shipping across 26000+ pin codes almost immediately. Once you register, you can understand the platform clearly and ship your products as per your business requirements.
I hope this is helpful.
Thanks and Regards,
Srishti Arora
I plan to sell home made meals prepared by mom.
Hi Ayushi,
As of now, Shiprocket does not offer the shipping of perishable products. But, do stay tuned to our updates for more information! You can get in touch with local vendors, they will surely have efficient solutions for this.
Thanks & regards,
Srishti Arora
Hi Sir
Need some advise to start home made food business in sector 10 A, Gurgaon
Can you please call me on 9811208960 or share your number and the convenient time to call you
Regards
Naeem Ashraf
Hi Naeem,
Sure! I will share your number with the sales team. However, Shiprocket can only help you ship packaged items that include powders, surface oils, dried products, etc. If you are looking to ship these, you can begin right away – http://bit.ly/2PWSLJR
Thanks and regards,
Srishti Arora
hi i want to sell pickles.. can you please help me for tis process
Hi Ravitheja,
Sure! you can ship your pickles to nearby buyers with our hyperlocal delivery services. We are currently active in 12 cities in India and will be servicing more soon! You can deliver products with a 15 km radius. Read more and get started here – https://www.shiprocket.in/hyperlocal/ or call us at 011-43145725 for more information.
Hope this helps!
Thanks & regards,
Srishti Arora
Hi,
My mom is a home-baker (and a fantastic one at that), we want to be able to sell her cakes, cookies, donuts, etc – within Thane and Mumbai. Would you be able to help? Do let us know.
Thanks!
Best,
Aayushi
Hi Aayushi,
Sure. You can opt for the hyperlocal delivery of these cakes with our hyperlocal delivery services. Follow this link for more information – https://www.shiprocket.in/hyperlocal
Hi , I am planning to start a online home made chocolate business from my home . Please guide me how to start it and what are the requirements for the basic start up . I am from Kolkata .
Thanks & regards,
Madhumita
Hi Madhumita,
You can start by creating your free website on shiprocket social and list your products there. After this, you can ship your products via Shiprocket.
Hi , I am planning to start a online home made food business from my home . Please guide me how to start it and what are the requirements for the basic start up . I am from mumbai (kandivali) pin code-400101
Thanks & regards,
darshan
My mother makes delicious mathri, namakpaare and stuff like this. She is wanting to sell these items. Can you help in delievery and tell us how to go about it?
Hi I want to supply homade dinner. Could you help me
Hi, I am Sakshi from Assam, and i want to begin a startup of homemade sweets, bakeries and confectioneries through online orders and home deliver. I want you to help me in regard of delivery service. Shall you?