Online grocery sales are set to surge if forecasts from the UK are on the money, with researchers predicting the next five years will see sales almost double to £7.2bn (A$12.9b). In 2009, 13% of adults have shopped online for groceries – an increase of 63% on 2006. Three out of five (61%) online grocery shoppers use more than one online store for their food shopping. And half (49%) would like to try other supermarket websites, but many are put off by the perceived effort involved. Online Shopping... ...Read more »

It’s been billed as the ultimate in convenience and enjoyed phenomenal growth over the past few years but according to new research from Mintel, it seems many Brits are yet to click with online grocery shopping – a sign that it will not be plain sailing for Australia’s supermarket chains. Market share of online grocery is considerably higher in the UK, largely due to an earlier commitment by the major retailers. In Australia, Coles and Woolworths have only this year branched out... ...Read more »

Online grocery sales in Australia remain well below the percentage levels seen in countries like the UK, but the roll-out by Coles and Woolworths could yet have a significant impact. In the 12 months to June 2009 37.9% (or 6.7 million Australians) had bought a product or service over the internet in a three month period; a significant increase from the 34.4% or 5.9 million Australians in the previous year to June 2008. It is only recently that the major supermarkets have begun to ramp up there... ...Read more »

UK retailer Tesco has confirmed that it is planning to develop its grocery website, reflecting the growing importance of online retail to the company’s strategy. “There are going to be some developments, but we aren’t saying what or when,” a spokesperson for the group told just-food. “We are always looking to improve our service, including our website,” the spokesperson added. The growth of online retailing has continued to outpace the overall UK retail market... ...Read more »

The online consumer has a much stronger relationship with brands than the average shopper, according to new research. Online sales continue to grow despite the recession, highlighting the significance of the digital consumer. This is underscored by new research from Millward Brown, who analysed WPP’s BrandZ database (the largest repository of brand knowledge in the world) and found that digital consumers have, on average, a 15 per cent stronger relationships with brands than non-digital consumers. In... ...Read more »

Having seen the growth of online grocery shopping in the UK, Coles is hoping the same trend continues gathering pace here in Australia. Australia’s major supermarket chains have been reluctant to embrace online shopping but it appears that they are steadily warming to the concept. If it has as much potential as analysts in the UK suggest then Coles and Woolworths – given their extensive distribution networks – are in the driver’s seat to expand their already large share of... ...Read more »

In 1854, Ike Hill took a job as a ‘Butcherboy’ on a convict ship bound for Australia. Since then the Hill family has been involved in butcher retailing and lamb exporting and wholesaling, trading under the name of “Hills of Darling” throughout most of the 80s and 90s. Now, 5th generation family member, Nick Hill, has decided to change the way meat is typically sold. Research shows that of the 70% of people that buy their meat at supermarkets, most do so due to convenience... ...Read more »

Highlighting the potential of grocery retailing, UK specialist online grocer Ocado has recorded a year-on-year sales boost of more than 30 per cent. Co-founder Jason Gissing said the company, which sells goods from upmarket retailer Waitrose, would have sales this year of around £450m (A$930m), up from just under £400m (A$830m) last year. “The economy is horrible at the moment but our growth is accelerating,” he noted. Success has accelerated for the business after they carried out... ...Read more »

Permission-based email makes shoppers more likely to do business with a retailer, in addition to generating a more favourable opinion of the retailer and even a stronger sense of loyalty to the retailer’s brand in around 50 per cent of cases, according to the latest research from American-based Epsilon. “While email marketing programs have become standard in the retail industry, measuring the impact of email communications on offline sales and the lasting impressions of brands is not... ...Read more »

Woolworths has purchased upmarket online wine business Langton’s Fine Wines Auctions as they seek to further expand their online and liquor market presence. Australia’s largest supermarket operator and owner of the Dan Murphy’s chain of liquor stores believed the purchase would offer an effective way to enter the online fine wine liquor market. “It’s a really good business, Dan Murphy’s has been a customer [of Langton's] for quite some time,” a Woolworths... ...Read more »