Abductive Logic, the Secret of Strategic Thinking

Friends let me introduce Arul Dev a vegetable vendor. I stay in a gated community having about 400 flats. The occupants for their benefit asked a roadside vegetable vendor to place his cart within the complex. His small cart was always filled with good quality, fresh, and local favorites veggies, and fruits, but was facing the challenge from the likes of Bigbasket, Zepto, etc. His quality and pricing ensured his products went off his cart fast. I had the opportunity to witness him apply Abductive Logic, which is an essential characteristic of the much-valued Strategic Thinking processes taught to top management.

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Within a few weeks of his working in the society, I saw an electronic weighing scale on his cart. I pointed at his new scale and said” Looks like you are earning good”. He said Sahib Businesses to theek he hai but this electronic scale was to make my sales more efficient. It helped me give the customer the exact quantity he needed and I was able to bill the vegetables as per the exact weight and showed me his calculator. It has helped save money for the customer and me. I smiled and got some vegetables. As I prepared to pay up I asked do you have change for 500 Rupees. He said no problem sahib, G pay kar do and showed me the QR code plate. I smiled at him with amazement.

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?few days later my wife told me Arul Dev had created a WhatsApp group, and named it "Dev's Fresh Greens." He displayed the contact information prominently on his cart and encouraged customers to save the number to give him advance orders or see what was available.

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Being already impressed, now the management keeda in me wanted to understand him better. So went to have a chat with him.? I asked Dev why he decided to use WhatsApp. He said “Sahib, People used to take my phone number and used to ring me up asking what was available and advance order something. These calls used to hinder my sales and many a times I forgot to note down the requirements. I had seen many of my customers using WhatsApp which I too was using and there I had friends who had made me a member of a few groups and used to send me all kinds of messages. That’s when I saw an opportunity to connect with my customers in a more personalized way and started requesting them to give me their requirements through WhatsApp.

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As the number of people ordering on the phone increased I put them into a group. I then started sending out daily messages showing the fresh arrivals with pictures of the vegetables and fruits. The images helped me overcome language barriers as there are people from different states.? As most of my customers are ladies on seeing the WhatsApp message would send voice messages placing orders. Many started posting messages of advance orders for the next day on the group with their flat numbers others too started following the same.

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Seeing the convenience convinced more residents to join the group and started booking fruits and vegetables. I now have about 520 members. This helped me plan my stocks, understand demand trends, and meet most customer requirements. My daily sales have gone up and by the end of the day, the stocks I hold are near zero. This helps me maintain a fresh supply every day.

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Friends for now I stop the story of Aruldev’s. But this happening illustrates the transformative power of strategic thinking. By embracing technology and leveraging social media, Raj not only adapted to the changing times but also ramped up a simple business that resonated with the digital-savvy generation while maintaining the essence of a local vegetable vendor.

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This abridged version of Arul Dev's story is an ideal management case study. It helps you see the application of Abductive Logic and how easy Strategic Thinking is, such that it can even transform small business. Thus by identifying trends, differentiating offerings, leveraging technology, and proper customer engagement, Dev not only survived but also thrived, proving that strategic thinking can help turn challenges into opportunities.