Daily SMS update on veggie prices from Hopcoms for Bangaloreans

by Sumaa Tekur

WHAT’S HAPPENING

When onion prices hit the roof — and tomato prices followed — toward the end of 2010, there was no bigger talking point than veggies in urban middle class homes. The latest technology-enabled service by Hopcoms (Horticultural Producers Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society) in Bangalore couldn’t have come at a better time.
Hopcoms’ new service sends daily SMS updates on prices of fruits and vegetables to subscribers (Bangalore Mirror, 26 December 2010).
The new e-governance idea is aimed to provide transparency to customers — a crucial need for Hopcoms, especially considering its wide base in Bangalore. The Hopcoms prices are updated each morning and the list is sent out to all outlets. However, recently some outlets did not display the price correctly, thereby fleecing customers.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

Consumers seek transparency, control and faith in the pricing system, especially for daily essentials like vegetables.
With mobile technology reaching a wider set of people, it has become easier, and necessary, to transmit important information that puts control in the hands of the consumers.

RESOURCES

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