Express Grocery Delivery Development after COVID-19

COVID-19 has changed many aspects of our lives. Today, we are performing the majority of our everyday tasks with the awareness of the pandemic and the related restrictions. The bad news is, it doesn’t seem like the virus is going anywhere soon. Thankfully, humankind is remarkably adaptive to new situations, and we all have adapted to “the new normal.”

COVID-19 has affected the economy, in general, negatively. But if there was one industry to turn things around, it was the FMCG industry. According to Pulse’s market research, the FMCG industry grew by 32% in major European countries, and the e-commerce industry follows FMCG with 28% growth. Compared to previous years, that’s a lot.

Customer behaviour is changing so fast that it can be labelled as a revolution.

Here is another example that emphasises the demand in online grocery. According to the report by Canadian Grocer, only 1.7% of Canadians purchased their goods online, while the number rose to 22% during the pandemic. Even more interestingly, shoppers stated that they were not thinking about going back to the conventional methods after the crisis passes.

The demand increase in the online grocery industry is expected under crisis conditions like these. But if there was one thing that exceeded the limits of expectations, it was the express grocery delivery services. You can see how the major US grocers’ fast delivery services broke a record when the pandemic began from the chart below.

The industry’s response: Fast adaptation

Another significant move in the industry is that three major US companies in the grocery delivery area alone recently announced plans to hire 550,000 positions. In Europe, we see a slower transformation, but the customers’ demand for express delivery is clear when we look at the future predictions and the plans of express delivery vendors. According to Technavio’s report, the express delivery market in Europe is expected to grow by $10.29 billion by 2024. Although the report focuses on vendors like Aramex International, BTA International, DHL, and FedEx, it still shows us what awaits us in the near future.

Sure, it is quite challenging to adapt to the new-age, on-demand delivery models. Every player in the market is testing what fits their current situation best. For example, while deep-rooted companies like Walmart use their nationwide stores as their express delivery warehouses, some stores build cashier-less warehouses with only courier employees to meet the fast demand of their customers. Of course, there are some startups that focus on express delivery alone as well, and some of them are even more successful than their senior competitors. According to Gartner’s research, express e-commerce companies earn 11$ more per customer than conventional e-commerce brands thanks to their sub basket limit, delivery fees, and other variables.

Our Express E-Commerce Platform offers everything you need and more

Whichever way you are planning to go, you don’t have to think about building an e-commerce platform from scratch—our express e-commerce platform is ready for your needs, and we can customise it in any way your brand requires. Here at Ubimecs, we have been creating unified e-commerce solutions for many brands, including CarrefourSA, so it’s simple for us to build an express e-commerce module with our years of experience and know-how.

Here are the top features that our partners and their customers love about Ubimecs Express E-Commerce platform

Real-time inventory and order management

Our Express E-Commerce Platform includes an admin panel that shows all of the orders and updates your store’s inventory automatically. So, you don’t have to use a separate application to manage your inventory status and stocks.

Customer behaviour and big data analysis

We are aware of the significance of data, so we have built our express module focusing on data analysis. On our platform’s admin panel, you can have deep insights into the shopping behaviours of your customers based on age profile, location, and product preferences.

Loyalty programs

One of the biggest trends of the last decade in the FMCG industry was undeniably loyalty programs, and it still is. We are all aware of the fact that loyalty is a must-have for brands that want constant growth. We have mentioned that our Express E-Commerce Platform moves with data, and analysing said data can enhance the quality of your loyalty program. To increase your customers’ loyalty, you can send personalised notifications about campaigns and offers to your shoppers. In the end, everybody wins.

Live order tracking

One of the favourite features according to customers is live order tracking. Our platform includes a mobile application for the end-user. In the app, your shoppers can track where their orders are, and they can see the estimated time of arrival for their orders.

Payment options

Our Express E-Commerce Platform is adaptable to the majority of payment methods like credit cards, online payment, at-door payment, and payment through third-party cards.

User-friendly product listings

Your customers can view your products by category, and using the search bar, they can easily find what they are looking for. Plus, they can add particular stores to their favourites for further transactions.

Multi-store management

You can see how every one of your stores is performing with daily earnings reports. Also, you can track your stores’ inventory in real-time.

Fast customer service

Our applications offer a live chat option for increased communication with your customers. Which is another must-have in an express order delivery service if customer satisfaction is the goal. If you want to know more about our express module, you can book a meeting here with an Ubimecs expert.