Exceed Consulting: The profile, needs and habits of the online supermarket consumer

Thursday, June 22, 2023

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According to Exceed Consulting’s research on grocery e-shopping presented by Giannis Lavdiotis, Managing Director and Senior Partner of the company at the ECR Hellas 2023 conference, those who shop once a week at a supermarket are by far the largest percentage of those who show time to "break away" from the norm of enhanced electronic shopping for supermarket shopping. Although the percentage of 17.1% who say they shop online once a week is not negligible, 43% of those who do so through a physical store so far are winning by state. The most important part of the shopping pie that e-grocery seems to be winning is that category of consumers who shop at the supermarket on a monthly basis: This is 26.3% of the total consumer audience.

At 10.9% are those who shop every ten days and at 11% those who shop every two weeks. A 4.9% of respondents stated that they shop online from supermarkets every two or three days and there is also 0.9% who practice e-grocery every day. According to Mr. Lavdiotis, "the online grocery and the physical store influence each other". It is, after all, about the entire grocery market, so about communicating containers. The physical store’s "weapon" is said to be convenience. "The physical store seeks to attract new consumers and retain the existing ones through the improvement of the experience", noted Mr. Lavdiotis.

The reasons for choosing online grocery and possible points of differentiation that emerge by chain

According to Exceed Consulting’s research, choosing online grocery is 68.8% about saving time, 55.7% about convenience and 34.4% about easier price comparison. The best time saving appears even more strongly when the online purchase is compared to that in the physical store (74.9%), followed by the multiple (omnichannel) delivery methods (57.4%). Next comes the delivery to the consumer.

As for the most important criteria for choosing a particular supermarket chain for online shopping, the first and main reason is low and best prices (by 6.31%), offers (by 6.25%), the possibility of different payment methods (by 6.17%), product variety (by 6.05%) and product adequacy (by 6.01%). These constants include the characteristics of the “best-selling markets. As for the points where there is a suitable field of differentiation per supermarket chain (points of differentiation), the first to "cut the thread" is the ability to deliver an order at the time the consumer wants it. According to the survey, the choice of reward program is very high among the reasons for choosing a supermarket chain for online shopping in the mind of the consumer.

"Competitive advantage should be focused on performance, on individual business initiatives or others, to be carried out in collaboration with third parties," Mr. Lavdiotis pointed out.

The role of last mile platforms

The 67% of respondents wish and choose delivery by a person from the supermarket where the order was made, 22% prefer delivery by a partner company (last mile platforms), i.e., Wolt Market or e-food market, with the criterion that this way will bring the supermarket shopping home faster.

By 7%, consumers prefer to pick up their online orders themselves from the store and by 5% to pick them up from cooperating pick up points.

By 29%, they are "absolutely" interested in the speed of delivery and by 25.5% "very much", forming a majority total of 54.5%. Consumers choose last mile platforms for online grocery purchases less often, by 47.6%, very often, by 36.3%, always, by 5.8% and never, by 10.3%. Regarding the reasons for choice, by 45.84% it is the fastest delivery time, by 44.18% for better offers, by 40.8% for easier access, by 40.38% for better prices, by 40 .14% for easier product finding, by 30.4% for better price comparison.

Source: Food Reporter #0974/2023-06-15