Customers want... contactless pickup

Sponsored by: Rakuten Ready

Over the past few years, the grocery industry has transformed itself to keep pace with consumer demand for a faster and easier experience; however, the past few months have seen more rapid changes in the industry than ever before, amid the COVID-19 crisis. Where it used to take months to roll out new strategies, business has been upended in a matter of days and weeks.

Take, for example, the term “contactless.” Two months ago, customers would likely assume the term referred to mobile payment options that minimized cash and card handling. But as consumers have learned more about the novel coronavirus and ways to minimize their risks of catching the disease, their concept of what “contactless” really means has changed. 

Rakuten Ready did a nationwide consumer study and learned that 86% of consumers said cleanliness was VERY IMPORTANT in their decision to visit a business these days.

Consumer shopping habits have changed in that they are seeking safety in how they shop. Essential retailers such as grocers, pharmacies, and warehouse clubs have addressed this change with contactless order protocols, meaning minimizing human touch across the entire customer experience.  Consumers are fearful of the risks, and consequently venturing out less, which leads to many opting for Order for Pickup, particularly Curbside Pickup.

Curbside pickup delivers on the promise of a contactless customer experience. Customers can order and pay online, with predictive arrival technology employees can fulfill orders safely by knowing exactly when customers will arrive and bring those orders to the car and place them in the trunk. All businesses are operating under strict safety standards and guidelines and huge customer expectations. Curbside Pickup provides customers with a sense of reassurance that their orders will be fulfilled contactlessly with employees staying safe in a controlled environment preparing orders.

Brick Meets Click predicts grocers could see online sales spike to 25% of spending in the United States in just a couple of years.

"I think we're going to look back at this time where there was an acceleration of an already existing trend towards online ordering,” Jaron Waldman, CEO of Rakuten Ready. “The grocers that do the best job of managing the surge in demand for online ordering are going to come out of the crisis looking better.”

Rakuten Ready is here to help!

Rakuten Ready is the leader in predictive arrival technology and has years of proven experience with brands of all sizes, so we can help. We are defining the future with solutions that make it easy to drive demand and deliver a superior Order for Pickup experience. The company works with leading brands such as Kroger, Applebees, Petsmart, Petco, Nordstrom, and Chick-fil-A, to power their mobile order for pickup programs. 

Rakuten Ready ARRIVE is our predictive arrival platform that lets you know when your customers are approaching and when they have arrived. It allows merchants to prepare orders ahead of time, minimizing wait times while addressing customer health concerns, and increasing order throughput.  

Learn how ARRIVE can assist your brand through these challenging times.