Which Grocers Poll High for E-Commerce Experiences?
Polling company Ipsos is out with a new study assessing grocers on the success of their e-commerce businesses. The study looked broadly at e-commerce experience trends and, more specifically, gauged different fulfillment methods across 17 leading U.S. food retailers.
Silvana Daehn, VP of Ipsos’s channel performance practice, said the topline results show that the digital channel remains a central aspect of grocers’ operations even as shopping behaviors have shifted again. “From online ordering to meal delivery services, what started during COVID-19 as a necessity has morphed into a method of shopping that people didn’t realize they needed in their everyday lives,” Daehn remarked, adding that the industry has adjusted accordingly. “Big-box retailers who sell groceries are making significant ecommerce and infrastructure investments to streamline the ordering and fulfillment processes, from signage and parking to staffing. Their goal is to make the buying of groceries and other household items a single, seamless transaction. Pure-play grocers need to invest to keep up.”
[Read more: “Younger Consumers Loyal to Self-Checkout”]
Ipsos surveyed 1,200 U.S. consumers and its researchers conducted a series of mystery shopping experiences. The team also analyzed and ranked key purchase consideration drivers across online, buy-online, pickup-in-store (BOPIS) and curbside pick-up shopping journeys.
Ipsos’s data revealed some winners in the competitive e-commerce landscape. Target Corp., Walmart and Albertsons Cos. emerged as overall top performers, with steady year-over-year improvements.
Breaking it down by area of e-comm business, Whole Foods Market was lauded by shoppers for having the best communication for delivery. Albertsons ranked highest for loyalty, with nearly two-thirds of respondents (61%) saying they would be extremely likely to order groceries for delivery again from that retailer.
Albertsons also scored big for curbside pickup, with a whopping 97% of consumers reporting they are very satisfied with that service. Meanwhile, 76% of digital shoppers said they would be likely to use the Amazon Fresh service again for curbside pickup.
In addition to seeking consumer feedback on fulfillment modes, the Ipsos poll asked shoppers to identify some of the barriers to a satisfying e-commerce experience. Reliability and accuracy were identified as key pain points, affirming other consumer studies that have cited those factors as digital service roadblocks.
