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According to Oracle’s latest grocery industry survey, 61% of consumers said they had ordered groceries online during the pandemic, with 41% now shopping online for their groceries more than in the store. Ninety-two percent of respondents also said they would likely continue shopping for their groceries online.
The survey provided an interesting insight into the delivery and pickup preferences of customers who order their groceries online, with 3 out of 4 indicating they had their groceries delivered to their homes, 16% picking up their groceries inside the store, and 11% opting for curbside.
COVID-19 has made unattended delivery (no human contact with a delivery driver) a necessity, and this expectation is not going to change. Post pandemic, I believe there will be an even stronger demand for unattended delivery fulfillment as people begin to spend more time out of their homes again while continuing to order their groceries online.
The Problem With Online Grocery Delivery
Online grocery ordering and delivery is becoming more strategic to grocery retailers.
In my role as a strategy consultant to some of the largest grocery retailers in the world, I’ve witnessed the growth of online grocery fulfillment. I’ve also seen the problems associated with this growth. For example, in my opinion, the worst business model ever created is online grocery ordering and fulfillment in its current format. Grocery retailers can lose up to $25 on every online order they fulfill. I’ve previously written about the costs associated with fulfilling online orders and how introducing micro-fulfillment will greatly reduce the costs and complexity associated with online grocery ordering and delivery.
The best way for me to describe the process for delivering groceries to customers is that it is broken and getting worse. Grocery retailers are experts at running their stores, but most do a poor job of optimizing the logistics required to make deliveries. Out of fear of losing business to grocery retailers that offer online grocery ordering and delivery, most grocery retailers are offering the service.
However, instead of applying the science of supply chain management to increase the density of orders in specific regions to add more orders per delivery vehicle, retailers are embracing increased volume. This has resulted in the need for more associates to pick and fulfill orders along with an increased number of delivery drivers and vehicles. Because of a shortage of associates and delivery drivers, many grocery retailers are unable to fulfill orders to meet the delivery windows for their customers.
To make matters worse, groceries are perishable. It is impractical, unsanitary, and unsafe to deliver groceries to a home only to leave the groceries outside. However, the increased volume is making it difficult for grocery retailers to deliver all the groceries ordered online to their customers. Several grocery retailers recently contacted me to solve this problem: Even if they make deliveries between 6 a.m. and midnight, they are still unable to make all the required deliveries. Consumers are then abandoning grocery retailers that can’t deliver during the selected time window.
The inability to keep up with the demand for grocery delivery has resulted in many retailers contracting third-party delivery companies. The problem with these companies is that they do not reflect the image or brand of the store. The use of third-party delivery services lacks accountability.
Contract day workers answer an alert to fulfill a delivery for one of the many delivery service companies. There is no dress code, no company standard and no way to monitor or enforce accountability. I am frequently contacted by customers reporting an incident with a third-party delivery driver. The most common complaints I hear are that delivery drivers steal groceries, eat some of the food that was ordered, or refuse to deliver the groceries to the customer without being tipped upfront. Less common but more serious complaints are of delivery drivers who have shown up high or drunk or have threatened customers.
In order to not lose a sale, many grocers are willing to risk compromising delivery integrity. I hold senior executives at grocery retailers accountable for the breakdown of common courtesy and respect related to online grocery delivery.
The Solution
After researching online grocery deliveries globally for over two years, I believe several solutions are available to improve the service and delight customers.
The first thing that has to occur is that grocery retailers need to understand that whoever wins the porch will win the battle for attracting and retaining customers. Retailers have to be willing to introduce technology to eliminate the current constraints associated with grocery delivery and provide customers with better service.
Based on my research, I recommend that grocery retailers consider seeking temperature and climate-controlled container solutions that can be secured to a porch, garage, home, or office, enabling customers’ completely unattended receipt of their order. Consider what items you’re fulfilling for customers — chilled and frozen products, medications, dry foods, and so on —when selecting the appropriate solution.
Grocery retailers should also explore installing temperature-controlled lockers in high-density locations to allow for mass delivery of groceries. Customers can pick up their groceries at their leisure. Retailers can also install this type of system at their stores.
Retailers must raise the bar when it comes to last-mile delivery. Leveraging mobile retail or introducing the use of grocery delivery carts should become the norm. And finally, retailers should rethink their use of third-party delivery companies. Retailers should own the customer relationship, from online ordering to delivery, and insist on integrity at all times.
Grocery retailers that introduce these strategies and technologies into their businesses will help to protect the integrity of their delivery models, increase the customer experience and accelerate the growth of online ordering.
