The Publication For The Grocery Trade

Online Indian grocer gets fresh

42 year old Bill Stevenson is not your typical Indian grocer - he's based in rural Dorset and is a software developer by trade, but harbours a lifelong passion for Indian cuisine. Bill set up his online store, www.spicesofindia.co.uk, in January 2006, using Actinic's ecommerce software. He claims it is the only online Indian grocers selling such a comprehensive range - over 1,000 authentic items imported from the Indian sub-continent - some rare and very hard to find like asafoetida, bombay duck and fresh curry leaves. One of his specialities is Indian-grown fresh fruit and vegetables; including three types of mango, yellow dates, six types of chilli, dudhis, parwals, karela greens, pawpaws, patra and more. "Finding authentic fresh ingredients for Indian dishes is difficult. Tesco doesn't carry 95% of the fruit and vegetables you need, and outside big towns you definitely won't get many grocers selling amla, fresh coconut and tumeric root. And what's more we deliver to your door next day - how convenient is that?" says Bill. Clearly, selecting top quality produce and packing it so everything arrives in perfect condition is vital. Issues specific to perishables include sweating and bruising. Bill finds paper bags stop the former, while bubble wrap prevents the latter. He uses ParcelForce to send the boxes all over Europe, and offers free UK delivery on orders over £25. The result of his care is that he's only has one refund, and that was because the parcel was delayed. This summer he'll go one step further by using foam-lined boxes that can keep the contents below 5 degrees centigrade for 24 hours. Customers are mainly private individuals in this country, but he also supplies some British hotels and pubs, two cafes in France, and fellow Indophiles in Spain, Germany and the Channel Isles. Commendations arrive daily and most customers return, some placing weekly orders. In fact repeat sales are the reason behind the rapid growth of the business, which has exceeded the projected first year turnover five-fold at £100,000 and he expects to hit £1m in year three. But this has come at a price: he works 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. Web marketing too has been key to Spices' success. The Actinic software has ensured high search engine rankings while a significant spend on pay-per-click adverts improved traffic further. "One of our biggest achievements is having links to us from two influential culinary sites: Delia Smith and Mamta's Kitchen," says Bill proudly. As for next steps, Bill is full of ideas to keep the site and his service exceptional. He plans to take someone on to free him to research new products and visit India more. Importing by the container-load is on the cards and introducing new lines like an exclusive Indian cookery magazine and full-size tandoori clay ovens. Lastly, Bill's advice to potential online grocers: "Never stint on customer care and quality in anything you do." Wise words. www.spicesofindia.co.uk www.actinic.co.uk