Online Grocery: Substitute products frustrate consumers

However, experts warn that consumers are increasingly impatient with mistakes that occur when ordering groceries online.

They believe stores that fail to make improvements may lose sales, even amid supply chain issues or a new wave of COVID-19.

Only in grocery stores

Orckestra Online Platform Product Manager, Frank Curitasexplains that when shopping online, a customer’s experience depends on how they fill out an order.

He explains that if a retailer makes a mistake, new customers may avoid online shopping again, while old online shoppers may switch stores.

Grocery store alternativesSays mr. Curitas. Sports experts won’t replace shoes Air Force 1 [de Nike] by adidas. Either they have it in stock or not.

Silly and frustrating alternatives

Online grocery store alternatives stories have almost earned the status of legends. some examples? Customers got ground beef instead of tofu, candles instead of light bulbs, flour instead of gluten-free bread mixture, and fresh oregano instead of fresh cilantro.

Other errors related to quantities, eg 10 kilograms of bananas instead of 10 bananas.

Anjali Rigo, a customer, doesn’t object to some online grocery alternatives. Replacing regular tomatoes with cherry tomatoes? No problem.

But other changes upset him, such as changing regular meat to a vegetarian alternative. For her, this is out of the question!

I don’t mind giving me another kind of tomato, but don’t make mistakes with my fleshAs this inhabitant says, Mississauga, in Ontario.

And if I ask for 1% milk, don’t give me 2%.explains in an interview.

Zoom in the image (A new window)

Some customers aren’t happy with the items they receive when the grocery store can’t find what they ordered.

Photo: The Canadian Press/Chris Young

For his part, the Executive Vice President of Walmart Global TechAnd Srini VenkatesanNote that The decision on how to replace is complex and highly personal to each customer In a blog post.

Take store-bought cherry-free yogurt, for example. Choosing another flavor of yogurt, such as strawberry or blueberry, or choosing the same or a different brand is not a simple choice and can vary from customer to customer.

There are nearly a hundred different factors that can enter into this decision.confirms Mr. Venkatesan in his blog. If the wrong decision is made, it may affect customer satisfaction and increase costs.

Most stores allow customers to choose whether or not substitutions are allowed, but this is not usually the default setting.

Stores refund an item if a customer is not satisfied with the replacement, but requests for refunds are cumbersome for customers and stores can lose potential sales, making it a lose-lose solution.

This has prompted some retailers to turn to technology and artificial intelligence to help personal shoppers, sometimes called packers or pickers, make the right choice for customers.

according to frank CuritasTechnology can go some way to solving the problem of online grocery ordering alternatives, but employee training is essential.

Training employees who know the store, know the products, and understand how to replace products will improve resultsHe confessed.