Cashless the secret to this supermarket’s super success

When Neeraj Vij convinced his wife Neha to help out with family business CBW Express Supermarket six years ago, it was only supposed to be a temporary stint. Neha had a strong educational background and was working in a project management role at the time, and wasn’t too thrilled about the idea, but six years have passed, a whole lot of passion for their work has developed, and Neeraj and Neha have become a successful husband-wife working duo, and are loving it.
“I truly love running this business. It’s always fun trying to present new products to our customers and provide them with the variety they deserve,” explained Neha.
2016 is an exciting time for CBW with the business excelling and the store recently completely renovated. And while the Little Bourke Street-located store is stand alone and humble, it aims big, and prides itself on providing customers with a variety of unique products, offering a little something special for every customer.
“We understand the need of the market and have made an effort to offer organic, low sugar, healthier products for the everyday lives of our customers, including fresh fruits and vegetables,” explained Neha. However, the store doesn’t just cater to the health-conscious customer, with Neha and Neeraj also working hard to expand their offerings far beyond the shores of Australia.
“We also offer a lot of different international products, including German chocolates, American candy and little glass jars of Nutella. We like to continue to get in unique products for our customers to experience and enjoy.”
And enjoy they do. From the typical business workers grabbing an afternoon pick-me-up, to gym-goers grabbing a post workout snack, to local residents popping down at 10:30 p.m. for late night ice-cream, customers of CBW love coming in for a variety of reasons.
Customer choice is key for CBW, and not just in the product offerings, but how customers pay for their products. A big reason customers are so loyal to CBW and stop in so regularly is because the business never limits customer choice, and has scrapped having a minimum spend on card transactions. It’s been this way for several years, and Neha sees this move as playing a huge role in the success of the business.
“About three or four years ago, when pay wave became popular, having a $5 minimum became very inconvenient, so we quickly removed it completely,” Neha explained. The removal just made sense to CBW, as the business believes customers deserve the freedom to choose how they wish to pay, and the benefits of the change rolled in instantly.
“It’s so much easier to not have a minimum. We no longer have to annoy a customer and tell them that they’re going to have to spend more money. No one feels like they have to leave the purchase entirely or add additional products.”
“We have a lot of international customers and language is sometimes an issue. Without requiring a minimum spend we can easily signal where to tap their card and don’t need to explain anything or make them feel uncomfortable if they don’t understand what we are saying.”
Many customers are businesspeople that come into CBW without the intention of having to feel like they’re in their workplace and need use their brain too strenuously. By completely scrapping a minimum spend customers can shop with ease. Some people find it so easy to stop by CBW that they even do it five times a day, making small purchases throughout their work days. That’s a huge hat tip to removing the minimum, as customers now feel comfortable popping in for the smallest of purchases and having the option of paying with cash or card.
“Customers often become regulars because they are not forced to make additional purchases or use a specific payment method. As a business, we must make sure that we’re not forcing them to do anything they don’t want to do.”
Neha knows that forcing customers will never end well – people don’t want to feel restricted when it comes to something as simple as payment method. Zero minimum allows CBW to give customers the freedom of choice, which leaves more time for the important decisions – like German chocolate or a glass jar of Nutella.
About Zero Minimum Campaign:
The Zero Minimum Campaign is a commitment from businesses to their customers that they are welcome to pay whichever way they want – without restrictions. The campaign arrived on the back of new research commissioned by MasterCard, which revealed Australian businesses are missing up to forty percent of their business by not offering consumers the choice to make payments of any size with their choice of payment form. Participating retailers will offer consumers the choice to embrace the speed and convenience of using cards for all sized transactions with no minimum spend requirement.