Food retailers and foodservice outlets honed their ecommerce targeting capabilities, delivery methods, and improved on the speed with which food was delivered to consumers’ homes, during the past year.
Their efforts came at a time when 78 percent of Americans had increased their use of in-store and curbside pickup options since the start of the pandemic and close to 7 in 10 (69 percent) said that they expect to continue using ecommerce options at the same levels if not higher, according to Ipsos’ Ecommerce Experience Report.
Ipsos ranked H-E-B the best retailer for its ecommerce experience, citing things such as its in-stock availability, ability to schedule pickup times, and good instructions on order pickup. "Perfect accuracy," no fees or minimums, and “excellent communication.”
A range of delivery technologies including drones, robots, and autonomous vehicles were also tested and implemented and delivery speed times were improved on by retailers such as Kroger and The Giant Co., which teamed with Instacart to offer 30 minute delivery.
Retailers also invested in presenting the most relevant products to shoppers.
Albertsons Cos. launched a shoppable video experience and livestream video in partnership with short-form video platform Firework. The interactive content enables customers to engage directly with brand and product videos and gives Albertsons the opportunity to sell “digital shelf space” to brands in the form of video ad placement.
Walmart, in partnership with Meredith Corp., also debuted an ecommerce experience that includes AI-powered meal planning, shoppable recipes, visual search, and chatbots.
Goldbelly introduced Goldbelly TV, which merges Goldbelly’s shopping experience with video content from chefs and food makers across the country, allowing viewers to order the foods they discover straight from the platform.
The Kroger Private Marketplace was also introduced. It allows brands to reach the most relevant consumers and optimize performance against actual retail sales, according to Kroger Precision Marketing powered by 84.51°.
Related: Stew Leonard's Launches Ecommerce Platform; Giant Launches Ship2Me Digital Marketplace.