A positive impact during the pandemic has been implicated by the proliferation of grocery mobile app downloads. In an analysis conducted by techfirm App Annie, Walmart Grocery App outranked Amazon by 20% on April 5, 2020.
While Amazon saw a 20% growth in daily downloads, Walmart Grocery saw a growth of 460% during the same period. Further, indicating a radical change in the grocery shopping behaviour of the customers.
Importance of Mobile Apps in the Grocery Business
The main aim of grocery mobile apps in the grocery business is to allow convenience to the customer. Shopping from them offers a new landscape of the grocery retail industry. They further expiate the need of visiting crowded brick-and-mortar stores.
Mentioned below are a few points on why a grocery store should invest in developing a grocery mobile app for their business:
- Convenience
- Round the Clock Availability
- Easy Check-Out
- Different Payment Methods
- Push Notifications
- Brand Building
Convenience
The ease of searching and shopping online without having to physically go to a grocery store is time-saving, cost-effective & convenient.
Round the Clock Availability
Grocery shopping apps are functional round the clock, 365 days. There is no closing time as is otherwise. Buyers can easily add items to the cart & proceed for checkout even at midnight.
Easy Check-Out
The buyer experiences a hassle-free shopping experience with the click of a button due to the easy checkout process. There are no waiting lines.
Different Payment Methods
This feature opens the door to various customers and boosts long-term association with them as they can make payments via any mode of their choice such as cash on delivery, card payments, and more.
Push Notifications
Push notifications are a subtle way of conveying information about the order delivery, payment & stock availability to the customer.
Brand Building
Having an online presence is like being on a global stage. It expands brand awareness & further enhances brand building. Infact 97% of the customers use the internet to find a business.
How Grocery Apps Got Smart During the Pandemic ?
Due to the pandemic, life has been under a constant flux of jeopardy. Staying put for various businesses has been challenging. During these unprecedented times, businesses went ahead & modestly improvised grocery mobile apps with the two most essential features:
- Contactless Deliveries
- BOPIS (Buy Online Pick-Up In Store)
Contactless Deliveries
The period of Covid-19 has brought new realities of living to shore & has boosted the concept of contactless deliveries. As the name suggests, contactless deliveries minimize the exposure to germs by not coming in direct contact with the customer.
The delivery staff provides door-to-door deliveries wearing proper protective gear. The parcel is left at the customer’s door & the communication usually takes place via an automated communication channel.
BOPIS
The second most important feature that came to life exuberantly during the pandemic was BOPIS commonly known as click & collect.
BOPIS provides flexibility & liberty to the shoppers where they can shop online & pick up their order from the store. It has been a new favorite for the consumers primarily because:
- Delivery cost is eliminated
- Items can be instantly checked, replaced & returned
For order collection, customers are notified via text messages or push notifications regarding the store pickup location. It efficiently reduces the time of standing in a queue for billing & payment.
Nonetheless, keeping the boat afloat in the online world has been a struggle but the same during the onset of a pandemic was combat. For a detailed list of features that kept the online grocery business thriving during Covid19 visit:
Types of Mobile Apps (Grocery Shopping App, Grocery Delivery App)
Acceleration in technology has made grocery mobile apps exhilarating. It is, therefore, crucial to decide what kind of app will meet the requirements of the set audience. Below mentioned are the commonly used grocery mobile apps:
- Grocery Shopping Apps
- Grocery Delivery Apps
Grocery Shopping Apps
Grocery shopping apps provide 24×7 accessibility. They enhance customer experience & result in effective time-saving. These apps further come with a myriad of features & functionalities which provide a seamless shopping experience to the buyer where adding an item to the cart is just a click away.
Grocery Delivery Apps
People with busy schedules or millennials who can’t wait in a queue are the perfect audience for grocery delivery apps. Without stepping out of their homes grocery delivery apps allow the buyers to purchase groceries & get the order delivered to their doors. Apps like Instacart & Shipt hire someone to go to the store for a buyer and apps like Peapod act like a virtual grocery store.
Conclusion
Surviving this fluctuating period amidst the pandemic will require proactively planned strategies.
According to GroceryDive, in 2022 beyond 30 million consumers will opt for mobile apps to order groceries. It directly implies that retailers need a robust grocery solution to meet the growing demands.
Nevertheless, it is safe to say that this unprecedented consumer behavior transformation will unquestionably cascade the future of grocery mobile apps.
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