One in four abandon online shopping
Consumers are abandoning online grocery shopping in favour of conventional supermarkets because of high costs and poor service, according to a new report.
Despite the growing popularity of online shopping, more than a quarter (27%) of people that have used online grocery shopping have since returned to bricks and mortar stores, according to new research from ConsumerIntelligence.
The study found that a supermarket’s brand and reputation do not matter when shoppers select an online grocery provider, as shoppers choose based on practicalities such as price, product availability and customer service.
The main reason given for ceasing online grocery shopping is that shoppers like to be able to see and touch what they are buying. Shoppers are also put off online grocery by poorly substituted products.
Tesco currently has the highest proportion of online shoppers (32%), according to the report, followed by Asda, (30%) and Sainsbury’s (25%). Shoppers of Waitrose Deliver (22%) and Ocado (24%) report the highest satisfaction levels.
Ian Hughes, managing director at ConsumerIntelligence.com, says: “Online grocery providers cannot rest on their laurels as there are a number of people who have been turned off online grocery purchases by the high cost of delivery or poor food substitutes.”
