What are the options for Online Grocery Shopping in Germany?

 Online shopping has become more popular than ever and with the prevailing COVID-19 restrictions, more people rely on getting groceries online rather than going to the stores in person. The delivery options have become more popular in Germany. Some online service providers even offer the Click and Connect service. For instance, in France, many shoppers do their regular shopping online and then they drive to the store when their orders are ready to be picked up. This makes their work even more sophisticated. Some retailers only deliver within their proximity, while some deliver nationwide. 

Grocery shopping has not evolved much in Germany and it is still a very modern affair. There are quite a few German farmer markets. These markets are usually open on the weekends and some of them are open throughout the week. People always indulge in fresh products, but a handful of people prefer to do their shopping in large scale grocery stores that are almost similar to the chains we see in the U.K. or the USA.

 

Even in England or France, getting groceries online is no longer a trend. Most of the younger generation have their shopping carts filled with just one click. They tend to select fruits, vegetables, beer packs, and even meat and fish. Now we know that grocery shopping online is still in the infancy category, but they are developing. Some online shops like Rewe, Edeka, Lidl, and Aldi are the only fierce competitors to the largescale online stores.

 

Most of the German customers loathe online shopping in general. They love cash. Since most German debit cards do not work online, customers prefer going in person and then getting the groceries at the cheapest rate possible. One biggest obstacle to online grocery shopping is customers are happy with how they get their groceries.

 

The only advantage is time-saving, as mentioned earlier. Customers have their items stored in their cart, and then they go to the store to collect their items without even stepping out of their vehicle. There is a company called Chronodrive, a sister company of the French hypermarket chain Auchan. It is currently increasing the number of outlets. They already have 32 stores in France and they boast that the pickup process does not exceed the promised five minutes. On the other hand, the absence of personal contact could cause a huge dip in both marketing and customer service efforts.

Shadow warehouses (home delivery):- This is an approach that is very much similar to the first approach. The home delivery is handled from the Central distribution center and is commonly used by the online retailers who don't have a traditional retail store. It is most commonly used in the United States where Peapod ( a company founded in 1989 and now owned by Netherlands-based Ahold), FreshDirect, EfoodDepot, and Netgrocer have made a dent. This approach is now moving forward in Europe led by Switzerland's LeShop, which has partnered with the Swiss postal service for delivery. The efficiency is more time-saving and can be valuable for customers. 

Store-based (pickup):- This business model will allow the customers to have their products pre-packed from the traditional retail outlets. This approach is much simple and easier for traditional grocery retailers to get the items within their existing structures. Customers can usually experience only a minute difference between the online and offline markets and this makes them pay a premium for the service unwillingly. When moving to the online business, traditional retailers often choose to offer both the Click and Collect service and home delivery service.

Store-based (home delivery):- The traditional retailers entering the online business take the most advantage out of the retail outlets. They pick the customer’s products for delivery from the existing stores. In the U.K., Asda uses this kind of approach. The popularity of usually preferred in-store picking is fading among the retailers. This is mainly because of the inefficiency in delivery, availability, and costs. The trade chains are made to deal with the local competition in many countries, including that of the United States. It is becoming common for single-location stores to offer home delivery within a couple of hours.