FOLLOW THESE TIPS TO DELIVER BETTER ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

The trend of online grocery shopping is on the rise, and experts predict significant growth in the coming years. We are currently observing an increasing demand for e-Commerce platforms and omnichannel approach as customers are turning to the convenience of online shopping and choosing it over the traditional in-store experience. A huge influential factor has been the COVID pandemic when people preferred to stay at home and order all the necessities online, including groceries. The home isolation a few years ago has left a defining mark in customer behaviour, namely the need to have access to everything from anywhere, at any time. 

And since then, supermarkets have had time to embrace this online shift, but not all of them have kept pace with trends. The global move towards online shopping, particularly accelerated by necessity, has left some supermarkets lagging as they are still reluctant to investing in omnichannel strategy.

To thrive in this constantly evolving business environment, supermarkets should consider the following tips to improve their performance and deliver a seamless and consistent customer experience: 

1. Focus on Simplicity: 

Prioritize your customers’ time and convenience. Make the sign up, searching, ordering, payment and tracking processes easy and efficient. Divide your products into different categories and add filters for faster product search so that your customers will not wander through the pages or lists of items. Provide extensive information about the products, such as origin, brand, price, food storage, ingredients, nutritional value, allergens, expiry date and add the function of checking product availability in case your customers would like to buy the item in-store. Display shoppers’ reviews so your customers get “a little push” when hesitating whether to buy a certain product. Reading other customers’ positive feedback will stimulate them to make the purchase and foster a sense of trust in them. Each one of these details plays a huge role in providing your customers with flexibility, convenience and fast service. 
 

2. Provide clear and comprehensive information 

It is important to give your customers clear information about shipping prices, delivery times, or any extra costs. After adding the desired items in the cart and proceeding to order, ensure that your customers can easily follow the transparent checkout steps. And when they have reached the last stage of ordering, include an informative “order completed” page where they can view a summary of what they have purchased, delivery information, payment method, and confirmation to expect – via email, phone call, etc. Easy access to such information minimizes the risk of misunderstandings and errors which is significant for leaving a good impression on customers. 



 

3. Don't Neglect Other Platforms

Make sure to optimize your e-Commerce site for mobile devices as many users prefer to access information directly from their phone, order food without getting up from bed, or just scroll through product catalogues in their free time. Ask yourself whether your e-Commerce platform has a responsive design, big buttons, clear images, and simple payment process. Additionally, enabling logged-in customers to save their shopping cart will surely enhance their satisfaction as many users start making their order on one device, and then proceed on paying on another. Otherwise, losing the items added to the cart will bring a lot of frustration, inconvenience and negative feedback. 
 

4. Make Easy to Find and Navigate

Your e-Commerce platform is a powerful tool for retaining customers, so it is important to prioritize their comfort. Think about your customers and the top features they will seek when shopping online. Include top-level categories that are displayed at the top menu for easier navigation. Allow customers to sort and filter products by price, brand, quantity, etc., for more efficient browsing. The “Buy” button should be clearly visible and consequently, it should become clear when customers have successfully added items to their cart. Make the description easy-to-follow by using bullet points and concise language – after all, most customers just skim the text to find the keywords they are looking for.  
 

5. Offer Flexible Delivery

In addition to ensuring a seamless ordering process, you should also think about the delivery methods your customers will be able to choose from. Whether they would like to get the products delivered right at their door, or pick them up in-store, the key is to make these processes seamless. To enhance the delivery process, consider integrating your e-Commerce platform with courier services as it will bring a lot of convenience for your staff as well. Our customer Bulcons embraced this approach by choosing the innovative solution of Microsoft’s ERP system – Dynamics 365 Business Central and a newly developed e-Commerce platform, integrated with the ERP by NavTech Group. After NavTech Group did a full integration with courier services and added different payment methods: credit and debit cards through ePay, cash/pay on delivery and via bank transfer, customers enjoy the delicious high-quality products and excellent service provided by Bulcons. 



 

6. Integrate Your E-Commerce Platform with an ERP System:

However, if you do not ensure seamless integration across all aspects of your online operations, your efforts to provide top-notch customer experience will be in vain. The integration of your e-Commerce platform with an ERP system like Dynamics 365 Business Central will give you complete visibility and control over your whole chain: from production to the technology you use, to the order management, to the physical delivery, and satisfaction of your customers, ensuring that each step is accurately executed. 

Integrating your e-Commerce platform with Dynamics 365 Business Central unites all business aspects into one single platform. Gain valuable insights regarding customer behaviour and preferences, personalize your offering with promo offers and discounts, and improve your team’s work productivity by reducing their manual daily activities. 

Our customer – Bulcons – has already experienced the benefits of using Dynamics 365 Business Central as their ERP system in combination with an integrated e-Commerce platform.  

Read all details in our case study: HOW BULCONS MAINTAINS A COMPETITIVE EDGE WITH AN E-COMMERCE PLATFORM DEVELOPED BY NAVTECH GROUP

NavTech Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions – from implementation of Dynamics 365 Business Central, to the development of an e-Commerce platform, to integration of a warehouse management system, POS systems, and more. We will be happy to become your trusted ERP implementation partner: Contact us to schedule a consultation.  
 

Source: https://www.lsretail.com/resources/tips-to-deliver-better-online-grocery-shopping