Advantages of Online Grocery Shopping

Wouldn’t it be great if your pantry could replenish itself automatically…? For many, it’s the ultimate dream, but in the real world, there is an alternative that is much better than carrying groceries from the car to your home. Now, you can shop for your groceries online. Here are some of the advantages of online grocery shopping.

Comfortable and Convenient

One of the basic reasons online shopping is considered better than conventional shopping is because you can buy anything from the comfort of your home. It is worth noting that if you had to physically visit the shops to get your groceries, you may have had to visit multiple shops to get all your supplies. On the other hand, even if you are shopping from multiple websites, you don’t have to put in any extra effort.

Better Prices

When sellers sell their products through a website instead of a retail shop, they save money on overheads such as rental costs. This allows them to pass on their savings to customers in the form of discounts. If you are shopping in bulk, the prices drop further. Similarly, some websites allow you to subscribe for products at a lower price. Online grocery shopping is still at a nascent stage, and hence e-commerce websites, in the space, offer a number of special offers to woo customers especially around the festive season.

Reduced Risk of Impulse Shopping

The placement of products in a grocery shop is important. Non-essential items are often placed at the level of your eye to attract your attention. This is designed to make you spend more money. Grocery stores employ such tactics to get shoppers to buy more than necessary, which can derail the most thorough shopping list. The stores’ layout forces you to browse items that are not on the list. It can be detrimental to your monthly budgets. On the other hand, if you are shopping for groceries online, you would stick to your lists.

Fewer Add-on Expenses

When you go grocery shopping, it is not just the cost of the groceries you should consider in your budget. There’s also the cost of fuel, the tips you pay the valet, etc. With online shopping, there are no such additional costs. Most e-commerce websites will offer free delivery as long as you place an order worth more than their minimal value. The amounts you saved may seem little but they can add up to quite a bit of savings.

Privacy

There are some things you may not want everyone to know about. For example, some women may feel shy while buying feminine products, while some men may not want everyone around them to know that they’re buying sexual wellness products. Online shopping maintains your privacy in that regard, and the contents of your shopping cart available only to you and the seller. Even the delivery agent will not know what’s in your package.

Saves Time

Shopping for groceries in the supermarket takes time. You need to set aside time before or after work for this. It’s not just the time spent driving to and from the store, you also need to consider the time spent browsing through the aisles, comparing products, etc. Sometimes, you don’t realize how fast the time flies by. On the other hand, when you shop for groceries online, you can place your order at any time of the day. You don’t have to set a time to do shopping. You can shop for groceries even in the middle of the night! Once the order is placed, you can select a delivery slot that matches your schedule.

Keep Track of your Grocery Expenses

Groceries are recurring costs. Some shopping visits are scheduled while others happen instantaneously. You suddenly decide that you need a special ingredient for your dinner. Thus, keeping track of budget can be difficult. However, when you are shop online, the bills and orders are saved in your profile. This can be helpful if you ever want to make a repeat purchase. It also helps you track your expenses. If you go over budget, you can easily identify the unnecessary items and cut those out, to make your expenses match your budget.

In Conclusion

The online food and grocery market in India accounted for almost 0.2% of the total market share in CY19. By 2023, it is expected to touch 1.2%. Like anything else, shifting from shopping for groceries in a supermarket to shopping for groceries online is just a matter of getting used to a new type of shopping experience. The benefits of shopping online for groceries can be experienced as soon as your first order is delivered. Once you realize how convenient online shopping is, and how much time and money you save, you will not want to shop at a regular supermarket ever again.