40% of all online grocery purchases in the UK now made on mobile

By Paul Skeldon

May 10, 2017 - 12:01 pm

40% of all online grocery purchases made online in the UK are made on mobile phones, driven by click and collect.

So finds the UK FMCG Deep Dive – Taking Stock of the Future of Grocery report from Criteo, which finds that 7% of all grocery shopping in the UK is purchased online, more than Spain, the Czech Republic and Netherlands combined, with click and collect is one of the major drivers of eGrocery in the UK with “bricks & clicks” hypermarkets having the advantage over Amazon

Fresh Foods are shopped for as often as cupboard items – attesting to the relative maturity of the grocery market.

Ben Cooper, Managing Director, Europe, Criteo Sponsored Product explains: “UK brands have spent years developing powerful relationships with shoppers, but need to adapt their marketing practices, refined through years of in-store experience, to engage with customers online in new and more innovative ways. Ensuring that both physical and online retail stores are closely aligned, keeping abreast with changing market needs, offering best-in-class customer service, and products that live up to their brand’s promise will give them the advantage. The reward? A weekly presence in the baskets of their loyal online customers.”

So what is a retailer to do?

The new report also offers crucial insights for online and ‘brick’ brands and retailers on key ecommerce tactics and best practices, including:

• Optimise how your products appear online: Products on computer and phone screens have to work so much harder than in store where their shapes and colours pop. Online, shoppers say that they’d like to see bigger images, closer up ones and when necessary, a 360-degree view. Copy is also important, especially in categories like baby where nutrition and ingredient information is paramount.
• E-commerce media requires an “always on” strategy: E-commerce has fundamentally changed retailing seasonality. Ensuring that there is sufficient to cover brand budget throughout the entire year, as well as promotional peak times is vital.
• Use paid search to help increase organic rankings: The “winner takes all” world of eGrocery – where carts are persistent and brands are powerful – favours established products that achieved early success in e-commerce. Paid search, however, can level the early advantage.

• Use retargeting to ensure your shoppers complete the buy: Persistent carts are a given in the FMCG category as shoppers often develop their carts over a week’s time before checking out. Retargeting can help make the sale.
• Use sponsored products to drive awareness and sales:Criteo’s Sponsored Products, which are relevant to the purchaser and what they are shopping for, can help consumers find products in large-basket-size, multiple-SKU categories like FMCG.