From Supermarket Shelves to Dark Stores: Sequencing E-Grocery Transformation in Jabodetabek

Abstract

Indonesian e-grocery platforms built on supermarket shelves and ride-hailing courier networks now face a market environment that expects 30-minute delivery, while modern grocery retail growth has slowed. This study examined how an Indonesian online grocery platform restructured its Jabodetabek operations from 2024 to 2025, identified the remaining operational constraints, and determined the sequence in which improvement levers should be deployed. A single-case mixed-methods design was employed, combining twelve months of transactional records (406,021 delivered orders across 19 stores), ten semi-structured interviews involving five operational roles analyzed through thematic coding, and structured diagnostics using PESTEL analysis, competitor benchmarking, value chain analysis, Business Model Canvas, and SWOT analysis. The regional exit strategy was justified based on order density, basket size, delivery distance, and contribution margin considerations. Consolidation into seven dark stores reduced fulfillment time by 59% and order-to-door time by 35%; however, it shifted the primary operational constraint toward travel distance. Practitioners identified the remaining constraints as store layout, information latency, and courier handover processes rather than traffic conditions. Five improvement levers were sequenced based on executability and reversibility: courier contracts, margin architecture, handover discipline, tiered delivery promises, and a density-gated network strategy. Per-order contribution improved from approximately negative Rp 10,633 to negative Rp 5,894 before any additional lease investments were made. The study concludes that a trigger-based roadmap should replace fixed launch schedules, with network expansion capital committed only after operational thresholds are achieved.