PEPSICO India To Sell Snacks to the Rural Areas

PepsiCo India is on the verge of selling lip-smacking snacks through the online delivery platform of Grameen eStore. Lays, Uncle Chips and Kurkure will soon reach the rural doorsteps and be ready to be enjoyed by the customers any time of the day.

Due to the pandemic, consumers' shopping pattern has changed a lot. People nowadays prefer to buy and stock non-perishable food items in bulk. Insanely huge demand for snacks created a golden opportunity for FMCG giant, PepsiCo.

The company realized this to be the perfect time for extending brand awareness and services to the hinterlands. What is even more interesting is that the deal has already been sealed!

PARTNERSHIP OF PEPSICO INDIA WITH CSC

COMMON SERVICE CENTRES (CSC) are physical centres started by the government to enable various services to reach the rural and remote parts of the country thereby contributing to its Digitalization and the Empowerment of rural entrepreneurs. CSC is backed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

PepsiCo India has legally partnered with CSC to list their famous snacking products on the Grameen e-Store which is a revolution by itself. The online platform that recently started during the Coronavirus breakout with the sole mission of serving the community is now making a remarkable impact on the lives of consumers. Only Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLE) has the right to set up CSC Grameen eStore. From buying online to getting the products delivered right at the doorsteps has never been easier for the rural folks.

In July 2020, a similar approach was also taken by the beverage maker Coca Cola India to boost outreach in rural areas. It announced their partnership with CSC and listed their products on the Grameen eStore. The pilot phase of the project included the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

THE INITIAL PHASE OF THE PROJECT

The ground-breaking initiative of PepsiCo India has already started. The trial phase of the project is first supposed to go live in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh and the products will be listed on the online platform with 264 VLE stores. Customers can easily use the Grameen eStore app on their mobile and choose the displayed products from the catalogue and place an order for the required item.

The implementation of this new scheme will facilitate last mile doorstep delivery in Rural India and also expand the network of e-entrepreneurs.

CSC’s rural e-commerce initiative has already fetched over 9 lakh orders amounting to Rs 70 crore. The project has tremendous potential to achieve their target and perform well beyond expectation.

Rural growth is soon expected to exceed the urban demand and in order to cater these changes, it is required for FMCG companies to expand their distribution in remote regions.

Aditya Sinha, Senior Director and Head-Sales of PepsiCo India, stated that the prime focus of the company after the Pandemic, has been to ensure the availability and innovative distribution of their products across the rural landscape.

The incredible idea and the efforts to make a remarkable leap after the ‘new normal’ will indeed strengthen the last mile connectivity in the hinterlands.

It’s time for Rural India to sit back at home and munch on the munchies!