The Power of Mobile Apps for Grocery Stores

Online grocery shopping has skyrocketed in popularity over the last four years. Today, major grocery store chains like Kroger and Albertsons offer mobile apps to their customers for easy ordering or delivery. Separately, third-party services such as Instacart work with shoppers to get their groceries delivered to their homes. This convenience and efficiency have turned consumer preferences towards digital means for grocery shopping.

A recent report found that Americans visit the supermarket an average of 1.6 times per week. With this frequency, it's understandable that consumers are looking to simplify this household errand. Mobile apps allow shoppers to prioritize convenience, value and personalization through features like delivery, digital coupons and shopping lists.

Navigating grocery shopping through a mobile app has now become an expectation rather than a preference. A new survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers found that more than half (53 percent) of consumers are more likely to shop with a grocer that has an app than one that does not, and two in five consumers prefer buying groceries through an app vs. in-store. Grocers that successfully leverage mobile apps can gain insight into their customers while opening new revenue streams through certain features, such as purchase history and customer patterns.

The Uses of Grocery Store Apps

Changing consumer habits and expectations have led to mobile apps becoming essential to various aspects of the grocery shopping experience. The same survey found that grocery apps are being used for more than just placing orders, with the majority of consumers (73 percent) using mobile grocery apps to verify in-stock items before shopping in person. This increases among younger generations, as this is true for more than four in five millennials and Gen Z. Providing real-time inventory visibility promotes converting digital engagement into sales.

In addition to checking inventory, consumers currently list time-savings and convenience as top benefits of grocery apps. However, they would be more likely to use grocery mobile apps if they provided an accurate real-time look at inventory availability, visibility on when items will be restocked, and in-app exclusive coupons or discounts. Customers crave a closer link between grocery apps and the in-store shopping experience. Grocers must integrate mobile technologies to ensure they’re meeting current consumer expectations around in-store and in-app shopping experiences.

The Current Landscape of Customer Satisfaction

With the appeal of skipping crowded in-store aisles, grocers must deliver on expectations for mobile apps to attract shoppers. Consumers expect convenience and efficiency in their shopping experience. Although evidence shows consumers want to use their mobile devices for grocery shopping, 20 percent of consumers are currently unhappy with their mobile app experience, and almost half (49 percent) are only somewhat satisfied and would like improvements.

A few of the top pain points consumers experience with digital shopping include items being out of stock despite showing they were available at the time of ordering, product quality issues, and items not showing up on the app that are usually available in-store. By failing to meet consumer expectations, these inaccuracies can damage a grocery store’s credibility and have it risk losing out on revenue growth and long-term customer loyalty. While there are frustrations among the public with grocery store apps, the benefits provided by mobile technologies for both grocers and consumers are abundant, and grocers may lose out on key revenue gains if they don’t take steps for improvement.

What’s Next?

To meet these demands, grocers must invest more in mobile technology and innovation to provide a seamless consumer experience. Grocers have the opportunity to revolutionize shopping and exceed customer expectations by improving their digital offerings and implementing mobile app upgrades. Grocers that prioritize this evolution of grocery shopping will establish themselves as leaders in the grocery landscape and develop a loyal customer base as a result.

Lawrence Snapp is the CEO of Bryj Technologies, an AI-powered, end-to-end SaaS solution for custom mobile apps and user engagement.