Notes and Thoughts on Grocery 2.0

Sure, you can say that about almost anything. The new owners who just took over your favorite restaraunt — they say nothing will change, but it does. And usually, after a few trips, you realize “Wow! This is really different. But you know, it’s really good!”

That’s exactly what you want your customers to say about their online grocery shopping experience. There are certainly some things you want them to feel are the same — your product selection, for instance. You definitely don’t want them to feel like they can’t buy everything online that they can find inside your store. So make sure your product offerings are robust and meaningful.

But, think about how they’re going to find their products. You’ll need to categorize things based more on what they are, rather than where they are in your store. Take salsa, for instance. More often than not these days, I can wander through the produce or deli sections of my local grocer and find some fresh salsa. Online, though, I’d never think to look in the deli department for salsa. I’m looking in the condiments category. That’s right, with all the other sauces, condiments, etc. It’s different alright, but it’s different in that online, it just makes more sense.

Another place where it’s good to be different is the descriptions of your products. In the store, I can pick up a product, feel it, turn it around, read the label, maybe even smell it. Online — I get a one inch square picture. The only other thing I get is your description. As an example, if you saw the description chocolate chip cheese ball, what comes to mind? Granted, I’m odd, but the first thing I think of is one of those port wine cheese balls, rolled in chopped nuts, with chocolate chips stuffed into it. Uh, no. I’m pretty sure it’s closer to a cheesecake like offering, maybe with crushed graham crackers around it, with chocolate chips spread throughout.

So be a bit more verbose with your descriptions. Give the shopper some more details. Don’t give them the register tape description. The better the shopper can understand what your product is, the more online sales of that product you’re going to have. Don’t go so far as to give the J. Peterman catalog description where you found this rare fruit while wandering through the jungles of Indonesia, but tell the customer what that product really is.

These are two examples of thinking differently about online. There’s a lot more. But don’t be afraid of those differences, embrace them. Show your customers that the differences online allow you to deliver the same high level of service they are used to getting in-store. Trust us, the online shopper expects things to be different. And if you deliver those differences thoughtfully, one more thing will change — your bottom line will improve!

Please join me and the MWG team as we discuss technology and the market trends that impact Retail Grocery and CPG Manufacturers in the Web 2.0 world. It won’t be regular or always pretty but I look forward to discussing the pressing issues of the day. Retail Grocery and their suppliers are undergoing a massive transformation as consumers have higher and higher expectations of what they want online. I hope to shed insight into what we are seeing here at MyWebGrocer.