The ability of online retailers to deliver orders the same day that customers place those orders has changed the landscape of online grocery buying and the associated grocery supply chain. 

If the definition of an optimized supply chain is a supply chain that helps a retailer deliver what a customer wants, when that customer wants it—and spend as little money as possible getting that done—well then, online grocery selling might be close to sticking the landing.

How and when you, as a customer, might buy groceries online largely depends upon one of the following factors:

  • Availability of supplyCost of the online experienceEase of use of the online experienceReliability of the delivery of your orders

Availability of Supply

More and more, brick and mortar grocery chains are entering the online grocery market. Chances are, if you are currently buying groceries online, that you are using one of these sources:

Therefore, it’s an easy transition for online shoppers from buying toothpaste online to buying bread online.

Walmart and other supermarket chains have doubled down on entering the online grocery shopping market space. Walmart’s (and supermarkets’) ubiquity are an advantage that they’ve learned to capitalize on. Online grocery shoppers can order and those orders can ship from local brick and mortar stores. The proximity of the shipping locations gives Walmart and other brick and mortars a good chance to make same day deliveries.

Cost of the Online Experience

Cost can be measured in dollars, time and convenience. 

Ease of Use of the Online Experience

Websites and apps designed to make the grocery buying experience more and more convenient are getting more and more sophisticated. 

With just a few clicks, you can buy almost any grocery item online. So when you’re trying to decide which of the online grocery buying options is the most convenient, you’re options only differ by a matter of degrees. 

But if you’re focused on a specialty item (organic, gluten-free, etc.), FreshDirect or Thrive Market might be more convenient. 

An optimized supply chain behind the grocery buying experience can be the difference maker, when it comes to a customer’s perception of convenience.

Reliability of the Delivery of Your Orders

Local brick and mortar stores who offer online grocery delivery have a supply chain advantage. Their inventory is already deployed near their customers. Online sellers with no local brick and mortar stores are faced with the dilemma of paying for customer delivery from farther away.