Online Grocery shopping is skyrocketing due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic as most of the people realized the importance of buying groceries online. As customers are getting fresh products with amazing offers it is most likely that they will prefer to do shopping online in the coming future also. According to the research, a year back, 81% of customers had never purchased groceries online but now 79% of customers started buying their groceries online. This clearly shows that COVID-19 outbreak has changed the complete scenario of online grocery shopping with a rise in sales and more demand for grocery items.
Online Grocery Shopping Constantly Growing Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
Today everyone prefers to buy groceries online starting from the daily essentials to baked foods, etc. This clearly makes everyone understand the impact of COVID-19 situation on online grocery shopping. As customers are getting used to buying groceries online they are realizing the fact that online shopping is better when compared to traditional grocery shopping as they can save time and money.
Increase in online ordering
A clear change in the increase of online grocery shopping can be observed nowadays due to the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. To handle this tough situation, even grocery stores have made various changes like converting the parking places for order pickup, making some stores only to fill online orders without allowing customers inside. This made things possible even in these situations and made the online grocery deliveries to be done in a systematic way.
Ordering shelf stable food
When it comes to online grocery shopping, here comes an interesting fact that it is not just how customers are getting their groceries but also what they are buying is important. As almost all the hotels, restaurants, etc. have closed, now customers started to depend more on home food which made them order more products online. As now the situation is uncertain and sometimes there may be unavailability of certain products, customers have started buying shelf stable and cheap items in bulk. This gives them more comfort as they can stay peacefully having all the required items at home in case of another emergency.
Personalized shopping experience
Online grocery ordering apps are also getting updated by arranging all the orders in an organized manner so that the customers can find the products quickly and do the online grocery shopping conveniently. This gives a convenient and personalized shopping experience for the customers. AI powered algorithms help in maximizing connectivity of delivery services and grocery stores with the customers. It also increased targeted marketing through personalized messages and recommendations for the customers based on their previous orders. These algorithms make the online grocery stores know about the buying patterns of the customers and easily suggest products or alert if a customer forgets to add something which they usually order.
Buying non-perishable items in bulk
During these chaotic times, people are really much worried about the delivery of fresh groceries on time to their doorstep. So most of the customers are purchasing non-perishable items in bulk to overcome this situation. They can refrigerate the non-perishable products like bread, some bakery items, eggs, etc. which will be in a fresh condition for a longer time so that they can have some hygienic food even in these tough times too. Customers are buying these products in bulk when there are any discounts or offers on those products and storing them for future use. This makes them feel comfortable even in these pandemic times and makes their life run smoothly.
Focus on speed and convenience
Most of the customers want their shopping to be done as quickly and conveniently as possible. Customers have minimized the amount of time they spend in online grocery shopping. Most of the customers are looking for the online stores to come up with good recommendations like new grocery items or new menu lists to buy or they place the same previous order again as they need not browse and search for required products. Most of the online grocery stores are focusing on restocking their products that are best-selling rather than focusing on new items and brands. Grocery stores are also altering their internal organization to make customers experience faster shopping. Even stores are coming up with a list of everyday essential products for the customers so that customers can have an easy and fast shopping experience.
Easy payment options
Checkout process is something that customers want to be done quickly and easily. Even reputed stores like Walmart are providing cashier less offerings. Recently, Amazon allowed consumers to make payments using the palm of their hands. The main aim is to make use of technology to give a fast and convenient checkout experience to the customers. Grocery stores are coming up with innovative ideas and new practices to attract more customers by providing amazing online grocery shopping experiences. Many customers are interested in making their grocery items purchased from the stores with an easy and hassle free checkout process.
Shopping carts freshen up
According to the survey, there is a great increase in the percentage of online customers who buy fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy products, eggs, fish, and baked products. Previously customers used to buy a few products only but now as the dependency on grocery stores have increased and customers are buying a variety of products for their home cooking. This is a great benefit for online grocery stores as these products will provide more revenue to their business. As customers are getting the fresh veggies, fruits, dairy, meat and various fresh products they have selected, on time to their doorstep, they have realized the benefit of online grocery shopping for which they may stick for their future needs also.
Conclusion
Due to COVID-19 pandemic most of the customers started buying groceries online, even some customers are buying non-perishable items in bulk for future needs. As customers are getting impressed with the services of online grocery stores, in the coming future everyone may prefer to buy groceries only online. Foodrunner is the best online grocery delivery service provider in Canada which provides same day pick-up and delivery of grocery items offering the finest grocery items to the customers on time.
