Online Consumers Continue to ‘Cherry-Pick’ Grocery Stores

If there is one thing the team at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® has learned over the years is that consumers will continue to ‘cherry-pick’ products by price specifically when grocery shopping.  According to Steven Johnson our own Grocerant Guru® Online shoppers are no different. 

After all we know that Price, Selection, and Service had elevated Amazon to become a global retail behemoth. In new research from IDG found that “Online grocery retail is forecast to be the fastest-growing segment of all UK grocery channels, but it will not be used in isolation”

The IGD study predicts a 53.8% growth in online grocery retail between 2017 and 2022 to £16 billion.

However, the research suggests that most online shoppers are combining online and larger stores, and online and convenience stores.

When shopping online consumers are not restricted to one store, one brand name product, or one point of distribution they can see all.  The IDG study found that 41% of online shoppers say they have used online and convenience stores in the past month for their food and grocery shopping.

Price point matter and service counts as the study found that 40% of online shoppers said they have used either a blend of online, supermarkets or hypermarkets and convenience stores in the past month. Vanessa Henry, IGD’s shopper insight manager, said: “What we call ‘omnichannel shoppers’ are having a big impact on the grocery market, with over half (54%) of shoppers claiming that they use five or more different channels every month, as well as buying from 12 different store brands on average.

Differentiation does not mean different it means familiar but with a twist.  Do you have the twist that will help keep customers shopping at your brand? Does your brand stand for customer relevance more than it stands for price? Does your team understand the consumer price, value, service, equilibrium?

Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization? Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.