Digital Transformation Process in Grocery Retail: 9 Powerful Solutions

While eCommerce is growing at a rapid pace, the grocery retail sector has been slow to adopt digital transformation strategies. However, this is beginning to change, as more and more grocery retailers realize the importance of eCommerce in today’s market. Customers are increasingly spending time online, and they expect to be able to buy groceries online as well. Already last year, global e-commerce sales topped 5.2 trillion US dollars, and this figure is anticipated to soar in the coming years.

In this blog post, we will discuss some of the key factors driving digital transformation in the grocery retail sector and most importantly, how Local Express can help you make the digital transition.

There are certain reasons why Local Express is the best choice for helping you digitize your multi-location grocery retail business. We offer a comprehensive solution that includes a mobile app, eCommerce website, self-service kiosks, POS integration, and much more. Our solution is designed to help you improve customer satisfaction, reduce operational costs, and boost sales.

Mobile Application: Changing the way your customers shop

Having a mobile app that facilitates a simple purchasing process for customers is crucial. Local Express offers a mobile application that allows customers to order groceries, meat, and bakery online and pick them up at a store of their choice, as well as have them delivered at their door. We can create unique mobile applications with our drag-n-drop mobile app builder.

What’s more, the app offers real-time tracking of orders, so customers always know when their groceries will be ready for pick-up or delivery. There is also a built-in chat function available that allows customers to get in touch with the vendor should they have any questions or concerns.

Scan, Pay, and Go for Grocery Retail

Empower your shoppers to self-checkout using their mobile phones in your store. With Local Express they can scan the barcodes of the items they wish to purchase and pay using Scan, Pay and Go, all without having to queue at a traditional till point. This not only saves time for customers but also reduces congestion in stores during busy periods.

What’s more, our self-checkout solution is fully integrated with eCommerce, so customers can choose to have their groceries delivered to their door or pick them up at a time that suits them.

How it works:

1. SCAN

Your in-store customers scan items with the mobile app to add them to the shopping cart. All promotions and sales will be automatically applied.

• Scan while shopping, or find it in the directory
• Bag as you go
• Get Savings
• Find products in store

2. PAY

Skip the line and pay in-app or on Kiosk.

• Checkout in seconds
• Pay in App or in Kiosk
• Apple Pay, Google Pay
• Credit Card and EBT support

3. GO

A game changer in the way your customers will do shopping. Entitle your customers for smart shopping with a super seamless checkout process.

• Loss Prevention
• Staff App for order scanning
• Collect your customer data

Sell More with a Self-Serve Kiosk System

A cross-platform solution that provides the right tools to instantly sell and update products on any device at any location. Scale your business with a robust Kiosk Self-Ordering Service that includes everything you need to sell in-store, online, and everywhere in between.

Improve in-store experience with Self Service Kiosks. They will allow you to:

Increase your profit

• Additional purchases with suggested up-sells 
• Fewer employees needed for ordering lanes → time-saving benefits for you

Raise customer satisfaction

• No queues and long waiting 
• Improved grocery experience (order customization) 
• Variety of payment methods

Get to know your customers

• Collecting detailed data on Customers’ preferences, and popular items for precise targeting.

Increase your revenue with unique Self-Serve Kiosks. Even if you have thousands of products, it is simple to set up and manage.

Last Mile Delivery Management

One-click local 3rd-party delivery bidding system – more than 100 delivery service partners, including Doordash and Uber Eats. The system is integrated with eCommerce, POS, and in-store inventory for real-time order accuracy. It auto-assigns delivery windows to ensure on-time delivery, as well as driver tracking and live customer notifications, are available for a seamless customer experience.

Last-mile delivery includes standard delivery, store pick-up, and shipping. That’s not all, our last mile delivery management solution also offers:

• A streamlined process for receiving and managing online orders
• The ability to offer delivery from multiple locations
• An easy way to find and book the best delivery service, providers
• Real-time tracking of driver location and progress
• Live customer notifications
• 24/365 customer support

5 Key Points For Easy And Fast Digital Transformation

Nearly 25% of grocery shopping is happening online. Your customers want a better online shopping experience! Are you there? Are you ready? Local Express is your all-in-one solution for competing (and winning) against the big players in the eCommerce space. This is how we help you get there!

Big box companies have big tech budgets and teams of engineers–and you don’t. But that’s ok, Local Express has everything you need to outcompete national brands in your local market. Some eCommerce solutions just deliver the software and leave the rest up to you – not Local Express. 

We provide full onboarding and ongoing dispatch support to ensure that you’re up and running without any unexpected challenges. Additionally, we help you create and merge an online marketing plan so you can keep your core customers happy and help attract new ones.

Store Frontend: Create a branded experience

Quickly build a custom-branded eCommerce store with pre-built, customizable templates. Create your own customer experience and manage your own customers.

• Responsive interface styled by you
• Personalized products protected with your watermark
• A pre-set up library with 1,000+ product items
• 24/7 technical support

Store Backend: Operations made easy

Easily manage the backend with one dashboard to track orders and manage items. Your online store and mobile app are always synced, so you never have to worry about inventory updates.

• Admin dashboard to track everything in one place
• Order and category management system
• Staff management system with multi-level permission settings

Delivery Ecosystem: Become the best local delivery option

Deliver your products fast in a comfortable way. Manage and track your deliveries with full transparency.

• Expand your business with nationwide shipping (Canada & US)
• Automatically optimize delivery time and cost with a multi-vendor system for regular and rush orders
• Streamline logistics and tracking with a fully integrated delivery driver app

Marketing Tools and Support: Craft and implement your plan for growth

Get the help you need to build a strategy and make the most of your online marketing budget with smart analytics, SEO, and automated email campaigns.

• Hands-on marketing assistance
• Access to a wide range of marketing and customer communication apps
• Your own data hub of customers and subscribers

Easy Integrations: Integrate to expand your business

Local Express can quickly integrate with any system you already have. Plus, you can build brand loyalty and manage your store with numerous pre-integrated apps.

• Integrate Point of Sale (POS) and Self-Serve Kiosks
• Attract customers with coupons and loyalty programs
• Enable multiple payment methods
• Stay top-of-mind with SMS and push notifications

The Bottom Line: Join the local grocers’ Digital eCommerce revolution

As eCommerce continues to grow, it’s important for local grocery stores to keep up with the competition. By investing in a digital transformation, you can level the playing field and provide your customers with the same convenient shopping experience they’ve come to expect from big box retailers.

Digital Transformation Progress in Grocery Retail is inevitable. It’s time to move forward and join the eCommerce revolution! With Local Express, you can be up and running in no time with a fully featured mobile app that will help you sell more and serve your customers better. Contact us today to find out more.