The modern digital grocery customer demands convenience above all else. Shoppers are willing to wait 10.8 hours longer for a delivery if the delivery-window is one hour shorter, such as delivering between 2 and 3 p.m. versus delivering between 2 and 4 p.m., according to data from the MIT Sloan Management Review. Combine these demands with the delicate nature of perishables like fresh produce, and last mile is an even larger challenge for groceries than other retail categories.
It’s easy to understand the importance of running a digital grocery program that’s both precise and flexible, but putting one together poses a challenge for even the most experienced retailers. Some of the strategies for creating a better delivery service explored in this special report include:
- Enable a convenient experience from start to finish: Retailers must ensure that both ordering and fulfillment are as stress- and hassle-free as possible;
- Empower associates to defray costs: Empowering associates with technology can maximize their efficiency, improve substitutions and ultimately boost the bottom line;
- Drill deep into the data: Digital grocery programs have a lot of moving parts, so fine-tuning them requires a lot of information to achieve high levels of convenience and accuracy; and
- Tie it together with loyalty programs: Existing loyalty programs are a perfect companion for digital ordering programs and can even serve as the foundation for a wider omnichannel experience.
Download the report today!