As American culture begins to value time more and more while simultaneously getting less and less of it, grocery shopping has devolved into a real hassle. Whether you’re a checklist shopper or a whatever-works cart filler, the hustle and bustle of a grocery store can be quite draining after a day of classes or the average 9 to 5. At the end of the day, the last thing anyone wants to do is navigate store traffic, aisle congestion, and busy checkout lanes.

This has led to the rise of grocery delivery and pick-up services. As with any developing market, there’s more than one vendor to choose from. There are simplified meal-deliveries like HelloFresh, chain-affiliated pick-up options like Walmart’s orange towers, and even stand-alone apps like InstaCart, which basically allow you to hire a one-time personal shopper.

This particular arena of on-demand service is both baffling and exciting at the same time. It’s so unlike anything that’s been available in the past. Grocery delivery/pick-up may seem like a close first cousin to restaurant takeout but, after surveying both, the two couldn’t be more different.

We can all agree that the level of trust between consumer and provider is significant when it comes to restaurant food delivery. Can that same level of trust be expected when considering grocery delivery service? Consider the scores of tiny, nuanced decisions a shopper makes in the aisles of grocery store:

Produce Selection 
Nutritional Information 
“Sell-By” Date
Cost Comparison:

• Price per ounce
• Coupons & Discounts
• Generic vs. Brand-name

We have to trust secondhand shoppers to make all of these decisions for us. If they don’t live up to our expectations, then the inconvenience potentially affects us for a week or more.

Rest assured, your grocery delivery and pick-up outlets are doing their best each day to remedy all of these potential issues. For example, many online ordering systems allow for substitution. If your order for generic orange juice can’t be filled, then you’ll get the next best thing for the lowest possible price.

Unfortunately, our high-tech economy still largely relies on a system of trial and error—and the service is still adapting to challenges like:

• Availability
• Subscription offerings
• High service fees
• Inexperienced grocers/shoppers
• Same-day delivery options

Luckily, Customer Impact’s auditors and shoppers can mobilize within days to collect data for grocery pick-up and delivery service providers. We’d love to help them understand why you’d rather not have to order a day in advance, or how important it is to you to have a list of brand options rather than a generic product icon when ordering online. Perhaps your small town’s Pick-Up parking spot lacks the outdoor lighting you’d need to use the service on a dark winter evening. Maybe you’ve arrived home only to find several key items missing after using your grocery store’s services.

The bottom line is that consumers desire a way to communicate shortcomings with their service providers. Likewise, service providers desperately want to deliver a consistent and convenient product to their faithful users. All that’s missing is a liaison for communication — that’s us.

Contact us below for more information or cost estimation for an upcoming project.

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