Here’s what consumers want from online grocers
A new survey reveals the types of features and services that draw shoppers to online grocery retailers.
According to a results recent poll of 1,000 U.S.-based adults about their grocery sentiments emailed to Chain Store Age from search-as-a-service platform Algolia, a leading 30% of respondents said they would most like their online grocer to provide personalized deal recommendations based on what’s in their cart or past purchase history.
Another 17% said more convenient pickup/delivery options, and 16% said personalized recipe suggestions based on what’s in their cart or past purchase history. Interestingly, 38% of respondents said they don’t need any additional online grocery offerings.
The survey also asked respondents to reveal their biggest online grocery shopping pain points:
- Produce selection (40%)
- Inability to find what you are looking for (30%)
- Incorrect selections (27%)
- Inconvenient pickup/delivery options (18%)
- Impersonal/irrelevant deal and/or recipe recommendations (14%)
Close to three-in-10 respondents (28%) reported no significant issues with their online grocery shopping experience.
Recipe inspiration and shopping
The survey also asked respondents about their habits in discovering and shopping for recipes. Two-in-three (67%) adjust their recipes and grocery shopping habits based on the season, including 77% for those with kids.
Popular fall seasonal events for baking and cooking include Halloween parties (46%), football tailgates (37%) and “Friendsgiving” get-togethers (35%). When looking for baking and meal inspiration for these events, 45% of respondents say they find their fall baking or meal recipe inspiration on social media, with 22% looking specifically on TikTok, including 53% of 18-24 year-old respondents.
Once respondents find their cooking and baking inspiration, seven-in-10 (72%) say they mostly grocery shop. Another 29% use online grocery services, with 15% ordering online directly from their grocery store and picking items up and 14% using a third-party delivery platform.
These results were skewed based on age, with more than 90% of respondent groups 55 and up shopping in person and 43% of respondents 25 to 44 mostly buying groceries online.
In addition, one-in-five (19%) respondents think the wider adoption of AI by retailers will make grocery shopping experiences more convenient.
Survey takes another look at online grocery pain points
According to a recent survey of 5,000 U.S. adult consumers conducted by Wing, the on-demand drone delivery provider powered by Google’s parent company Alphabet, the biggest pain points for in-store grocery shoppers are crowds (45%), long lines (20%) and unavailable products (17%).
The biggest pain points for respondents when getting groceries delivered are expensive pricing (37%) and unavailable products (20%).
[READ MORE: Are grocery shoppers ready for drones?]
