Shopping From Your Couch

Let’s discuss the traditional method of online grocery shopping and compare it to the modernized spin

on it that’s taking the market by storm, shall we? Traditional grocery shopping involves driving time, gas,

long lines, and impulse behaviors. Online grocery shopping, well, is there a downside to speak of? The

U.S. consumer makes an average of 1.6 grocery trips per week. That’s 6.4 trips per month. Some of the

measures people have succumb to in order to avoid a slow checkout experience have been almost

humorous. We have 65% of people use self-checkout lines, which coincidentally tend to be a longer

process since everyone has the same idea that it will shorten the length of time spent in it. There are

53% of people who go out of their way to shop during off-peak hours of the day, which I imagine cuts in

to some well-deserved personal time, just to wait a few minutes less to check out. And then there is my

personal favorite, the 24% of people who sacrifice shopping at their favorite grocery store and put

themselves through a far less enjoyably experience to avoid that long line (Statista, 2017.)

All of this being said, who on earth would continue these shopping patterns knowing that the online

grocery game is coming at us full force in the U.S. market? Let’s avoid the seemingly “better”

alternatives to waiting in lines, forget about self-checkouts, keep your personal time for things you

enjoy, and allow yourself to purchase items from your favorite stores. The best part? You can make all of

this happen right from your couch. Item’s needed? Your phone, laptop, or tablet, and possibly a blanket

if you’re cold. Of course, the best part is that there is no pressure to look socially acceptable, because

we are avoiding that that unnerving fear we all experience of running into someone we know when we

don’t quite look our best and hoping no one recognizes us.

With grocery shopping online from your couch, you can not only get all the foods you want with zero

travel, no waiting in lines, and at whatever time of day is most convenient for you, but you can also relax

and multitask. The money you save by not using your gas, and impulse shopping by throwing things in

your cart that caught your eye on that perfectly stacked food pyramid that came out of nowhere but

you had to have it, you can now afford to buy that home décor piece you have had your eye on, or those

new shoes that just hit the stores. What’s interesting is that in-store grocery shopping still holds the

highest consumer behavior statistic, but never once does it mention that this is their preferred method

of grocery shopping. Wouldn’t we all prefer a more enjoyable experience in a very necessary aspect of

our lives? I would think yes.