Any time Takeoff puts out new research on how retailers should think about the online grocery business, I eat it up (pun intended). It gives me a chance to sit back, to collect my thoughts, and to rechallenge my thinking about everything happening with the industry.
Because, boy oh boy, have things been a-changing.
Covid-19 rushed onto the scene like a bat of hell. EGrocery adoption has accelerated at a rapid pace, grocery retailers across the board have seen banner sales results, and yet it is hard to know what to make of it all. Is it just a case of grocers being in the right place at the right time—i.e. people still needing food, not being able to leave their homes, and so what the heck else are they supposed to do?
Or, is there something more for us to understand in terms of how everything is playing out?
We can talk of subscription programs with “+” signs attached to the end of them, third-party delivery services signing up retail partners faster than Liz Taylor goes through husbands, but, without looking hard at the data, we run the risk of it all being window dressing for short-term success that will only confuse things down the line.
All of which is why I again found Takeoff’s latest research paper in its ongoing series on e-groceries so compelling. Sure, the coronavirus has made it feel like e-groceries are finally set to ramp up, but how and why we all feel that way deserves a closer look.
Three important data points from Takeoff’s latest research, for instance, may already indicate the path to success that the best-of-the-best grocers will ultimately choose.
.jpg)
