Do’s and Don’ts If You Are into the Fruit-Selling Business

Running any business is a challenge. Often, we wish we had known better or been more careful when we face a difficulty in our business. The fruit selling business is no different. There are various opportunities in this industry, but they can be offset by problems that can break your business. If you are wondering how to grow your business you need to look out for small business tips and tricks. This article will guide you through some important Do’s and Don’ts that you can implement to grow your fruit selling business and avoid difficulties.

Do’s

1. Sanitisation

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us the importance of sanitisation. Maintaining hygiene and sanitisation is very important to protect against the spread of any disease. Especially since fruits are edible and are consumed directly, it further increases the chances of spreading disease. Hence, maintain cleanliness and good sanitary practices within your establishment. A hygienic space not only reassures your customers but also protects you and your team from harmful infections.

Additional care that must be taken when it comes to sanitising fruits is to check if it is safe to use a sanitiser on edible goods. Using the wrong sanitiser can cause more harm than good. Many companies have now come up with special sanitisers and cleaners for edible goods, and you must make sure only to use that.

To ensure you do not miss out or forget on cleaning and sanitising, you can build a routine and block time dedicated to cleaning and sanitisation. Prepare a checklist of things that need to be done regularly. This will ensure that you are accountable and do not miss out.

2. Accounting

Small businesses often skip on having a strict accounting system. The income and expenses are not measured strictly in a uniform way. No matter how small or big your business is, it is essential to maintain accounts and keep track of your business. It will help you in understanding your profits, expenses, overhead costs, etc. Having this information will help you plan your business finances better and show you where the growth in your business lies. For example, if your accounts show that online sales provide more profit than offline sales, you will get the motivation to focus more on the online market to reap better profits.

Fruit selling businesses are often bustling due to their regular day-to-day activity, and keeping track of every sale and expense can get tricky. But technology has made maintaining accounts much more effortless. Using tools like OkCredit, you can easily automate the process, and it will require little to no effort from your end. Once you enter the data everything else will be done for you. This will save you a lot of time, energy, and resources.

3. Online sales

It is a common assumption among many fruit and vegetable vendors that they only thrive in offline markets since people prefer to pick and choose their fruits. However, this is a myth. With changing lifestyles, many people do not have the time to visit a store and buy fruits and other groceries, and they prefer them to be delivered at home. Thus, every fruit seller must look out for and explore opportunities in online sales.

There are various ways in which you can do this. You can build your website or app and take orders from it. You can register with e-commerce companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Zomato, etc., to sell your fruits using their services. Another simple and effective way to start an online business without any investment is through WhatsApp. You can create a group with your existing customers and people in your vicinity and take orders from it. It is a cost-effective and convenient method.

4. Marketing and branding

Many fruit-selling businesses do not invest their time in marketing and only rely on the customer base in their immediate vicinity. This is a big mistake and can reduce your potential massively. Building an online presence and marketing can help you grow your business. This can be done with simple and free online tools like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. This will help in highlighting the uniqueness of your business and attract more customers. If you have investment capital, you can even choose paid ads and marketing. Even though they are old-school methods, they are still just as effective.

Don’ts

1. Overstocking

Fruits are a perishable commodity and are in demand only when they are fresh. Thus, it is crucial to only stock up as per your requirement. The prices of fruits keep fluctuating, and it is tempting to overstock when the prices are lower. But keep your daily sales in mind and only stock up accordingly. Not being able to sell the extra supply will lead to losses and waste resources. Thus, constantly evaluate how much storage and sale capacity you have before making a purchase. As your business grows, you can invest in bigger and better storage options and increase your stock.

It is also advisable to have a backup option if you end up with an extra stock of fruits. You can tie up with restaurants and food joints that buy fruits in large quantities, which will help cover your excess inventory before they perish.

2. Adulteration

As a fruit seller, you will come across many sellers who will try to lure you into buying fruits grown with chemical pesticides and other colourants. Even though the fruits appear fresher and tastier they will cost you in the long run. For example, it is common to add a layer of wax on fruits like apples to make them look shinier to increase the customer appeal. However, these are harmful to health and can cause various diseases and infections.

While it may give you a small extra profit in the short run, this strategy will not work for you in the long run. For running any business, building trust with your customers is essential. And that cannot be built by selling unhealthy and harmful products. Customers nowadays are getting more and more aware of their health and can differentiate between natural and adulterated foods easily. Thus, it is not only ethically wrong but is not suitable for your profits as well.

3. Stagnancy

Businesses need to evolve to succeed constantly. Having a stagnant business model will not lead to growth. Thus, as a fruit seller, you must continuously look into newer trends within the fruits markets, procure more varieties, and stay updated with the technology. Cut fruits, dried fruits, and other modern types are all getting popular these days. Don’t stick to your old methods. Look out for what more you can provide to your customers and serve them better.

For this, research is necessary. You will have to read up on newer technologies and trends and constantly follow them to know what is unique in the market. Another way to do this is to take feedback from your customers. Ask them if they would want any changes or if they’re unhappy with something. This will help you in understanding their needs and building a good relationship with them.

4. Evade legal compliance

Legal compliance is mandatory. Not following any can lead to grave consequences like penalties, cancellation of license, and even jail. Thus, never evade legal compliances. You can check with a lawyer on any licenses that you need to take for your business. Fruit businesses have to procure specific permits from the health ministry concerning quality, weights, taxes, etc. Make sure you have completed all the formalities.

Conclusion

Fruit selling businesses have vast potential and can be turned into a highly profitable business. However, it is essential to avoid hurdles and appropriately advance your business. Don’t hesitate to seek help from your peers, competitors, and customers when you face any problems. People are always ready to offer support and guidance. With these business growth tips and the list of Do’s and Don’ts, you will be ready to enhance your fruit-selling business today!

Also Read:

1) Do's & Don'ts if You Own a School or College
2) Dos' & Don't for an electronics Shop Owner
3) What are Good Ways to Start an Online Jewellery Store?
4) OkCredit: All you need to know about OkCredit & how it works.

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FAQs

Q. How do I know if my store is sanitised enough?

Ans. Many government offices have a list of measures that you should be taking. Follow those, and seek help from your competitors and learn newer methods.

Q. How do I increase my customer base?

Ans. You can do this with marketing, advertising, providing newer avenues of purchasing like online stores, providing better and more unique products that will help.