Do grocers need a fresh approach to boost online sales of meat and produce?

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by Lindsey Francy Mar 4, 2023 News
Do grocers need a fresh approach to boost online sales of meat and produce?

March 3, 2023.

Even though some surveys show a slight reduction in the use of online grocery shopping, it's still popular with customers. A new survey shows that many shoppers still think about what they're buying.

A survey shows that more than half of shoppers shop for meat, chicken, or fish in physical stores. The majority of customers shop for fruit and vegetables in the store. Only 44 percent of customers purchase most of their food in-store, with these categories being more frequently purchased in-store. Only 35 percent of customers buy paper products and cleaning supplies in the store. The majority of customers purchase their pet food in the store.

Customers can shop in-store for meat and vegetables on-the-spot, rather than depending on a shopper's opinion of the product. Customers don't have to worry about things going bad in a warehouse or being damaged during delivery.

Prior to the rise in e-grocery adoption, grocery pick-up and delivery services were facing a problem.

According to CB Insights, Walmart patented a solution called "fresh online experience." The system described in the patent would allow customers to order a product in-store via mobile or web, at which point an in-store picker would use a 3-D scanning device to take a picture of the product and send it to the customer. The customer could choose to accept or reject the item. It's unclear if the solution was piloted.

Online grocery was down 1.2 percent in the month of January. There was a 10 percent decrease in active users of ship-to- home. The number of online grocery orders peaked in May of 2020

Is it difficult for stores to pick fresh meat and produce that will meet the quality standards of online shoppers because of the need for speed? Is there a way for food retailers to overcome the quality control concerns of customers?

Please practice The RetailWire Golden Rule when submitting your comments. Braintrust

Part trust, part shopper habits, and part logistical challenges are what this is.

Consumers want to look at fresh food. Why wouldn't you trust someone you haven't met before?

It's difficult for stores to pickable perimeter categories. Consumers want both speed and quality and often disagree with the store's judgement.

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