There are several advantages of an online grocery store with a pick up service. For one thing, you’ll have the convenience of picking up items directly from the store, which saves you from the hassle of having to deliver the groceries to the customer. If you have customers who aren’t local, you can even offer pick up in-store. This is possible with different eCommerce platforms.
PrestaShop
If you want to create an online grocery store and offer pick up service to your customers, you should use PrestaShop as your platform. This open source software is very flexible and has an intuitive interface. With this platform, you can customize the design of your website and add additional features to sell more products. It also supports multiple payment gateways, including PayPal, Amazon Pay, and First Data. It also comes with an administration panel that you can customize.
First, you must determine your target market. You should know your competitors and understand their strategies to attract customers. A well-defined target market will help you target relevant customers. Then, you should make use of search engine optimization (SEO) to make your website visible to your targeted audience. After a while, your site will start receiving organic traffic.
PrestaShop is a free e-commerce platform that was developed by a community of over one million users. The platform offers over 600 features and 5,000+ modules that can be customized to your business. With PrestaShop, you can get a domain name with the installation of the ecommerce solution.
The PrestaShop store locator and pickup addon allows you to offer in-store pickup options. The addon allows customers to see the location nearest to them on a Google map and pickup can be arranged for that location. The plugin is simple to install and offers multilingual support. The plugin also offers the option to specify the pickup time.
Click & collect functionality is an important part of any online store, and PrestaShop makes it a breeze to set up. PrestaShop offers several click & collect modules that are easy to install. These modules automatically sync stock and generate confirmation emails. In addition, customers can pay for their products online, or in the store.
Mercatus
Increasingly, consumers are demanding pick-up options when ordering groceries online. That’s why Mercatus has partnered with Point Pickup Technologies to offer an end-to-end solution to last-mile delivery challenges. Their joint solution integrates advanced location-based communications and automation to optimize operations, as well as the shopper’s experience. The solution provides retailers with a fast and efficient response to the last-mile delivery needs of their customers.
The Mercatus Enhanced Fulfillment solution allows grocers to meet this demand while improving profitability and scaling for long-term growth. It combines ShopperKit fulfillment technology and Radius Networks’ FlyBuy Pickup technology to extend the brand experience beyond the store to the curb. Customers can expect record-low pick-up wait times and real-time two-way communication.
Mercatus is the leading provider of digital commerce solutions for grocery retailers. Their latest report on the eGrocery market, titled eGrocery Transformed: Insights on the Elevated Future of eGrocery, found that 75% of respondents would rather shop for their groceries online than pick them up from a local store.
The Mercatus study reveals that the number of people buying groceries online increased in the last three months. Compared to last year, sales increased by 17% in the month of July. However, the numbers were lower than they were prior to the COVID pandemic.
As the number of people shopping online for groceries increases, the number of households using online grocery delivery services continues to grow. According to the latest Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Survey, 45.6 million households used online grocery delivery services in May. Those households used their services an average of 1.7 times per month.
Target
Target’s online grocery store will soon be available at more than 1,500 of the retailer’s stores. The company’s plan was to offer the service in more stores by the holiday season. It did not provide a timeframe for pick up, however. It also did not say whether the service would be available at every store. Online grocery sales have grown significantly since the introduction of online grocery services by Walmart and Target.
In addition to delivering groceries, Target is also expanding its drive-up and Order Pickup services. It is planning to roll out this service in 400 stores by the end of this month and in more than 1,500 by the holiday season. It offers pickup in stores for 750 items, including fresh produce, frozen food, and meat. The service is free.
The new service will not use the shipping services of Shipt, but it will rely on employees of the company to pick up orders. According to a Wall Street Journal report, grocery pickup sales have increased by 81 percent over the past year. In addition to curbside pickup, Target will also offer a “geofenced” system to help customers select their desired pickup location.
The Target online grocery store offers several payment options. The customer can pay by cash, check, or credit. The order may be ready in as little as two minutes, or as long as 2 hours. The system doesn’t set a specific time for pick up, but it will let you know when it is ready.
Walmart
A new online grocery service launched by Walmart is expanding across the U.S. It’s targeting major cities with millions of households and that haven’t seen grocery delivery providers enter the market yet. It’s also focusing on newer markets and women customers. If it works, the new grocery service will eventually be available in over 30 markets.
Customers will be able to order groceries online and pick them up at a pick up location in their neighborhood. They can choose curbside or in-store pick up. Pickup is free for orders over $35. This is a convenient option for those who want to avoid the hassle of navigating a supermarket.
The company will use thousands of stores to cut costs and improve delivery speeds. Pickup is available in most states and will cost about $1 less per order than home delivery. In addition, Walmart is betting big on online baby products. The company has already added more than 30,000 new products to its site since the start of 2014.
With pick up capabilities at over 3,000 locations, Walmart will serve 68% of the US population. Customers can expect delivery in two hours or less. Some deliveries will be made by Walmart employees and others will be made by third-party contractors. The company is in a fierce battle with Amazon, Target, and traditional grocers. Experts believe online grocery shopping was initially adopted as a necessity, but quickly became a habit for many shoppers.
Pickup services are especially useful for people who are pressed for time. If you aren’t able to visit the grocery store, Walmart’s pick up service is the perfect solution. It makes shopping easier and more convenient for busy people. The company’s grocery pickup service is popular with moms on the go.
Pickup services are also less expensive than delivery, which benefits grocers. They still face unique challenges when it comes to optimizing the pick up service, like keeping hot items at the right temperature and managing inventory for both online and in-store shoppers.
