eGrowcery offers grocers ownership of their e-commerce platform

Grocers can purchase their own bespoke e-commerce platform through a new offering from grocery technology firm eGrowcery. 

The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company on Thursday announced the release of its BOLT (Build, Operate, Lease, Transfer) platform, which it said “gives retailers the opportunity to purchase their entire e-commerce ecosystem in the future, all while operating and growing their technology in the short-term.” 

Under the BOLT model, grocers can begin their e-commerce strategy with a software-as-a-service (SaaS) approach and eventually migrate their e-commerce platform to their own servers, eGrowcery explained.  

“We have heard from numerous retailers that they are making significant investments in their e-commerce technology over the next several years. While many retailers still prefer traditional SaaS pricing models, others are interested in building or buying their own platform,” said Patrick Hughes, CEO of eGrowcery. “We have listened to the market and created a faster path for those retailers seeking to save time and money buying versus building their technology in-house.” 

eGrowcery said many grocers are rethinking their approach to e-commerce, noting that online sales are still higher than before the pandemic, and “owning their own technology is at the top of that list as well.”  

“We work with retailers of all sizes and varying strategies. There is clear interest with many retailers to explore the possibility of owning their own e-commerce platform,” according to Mark Doiron, an industry consultant and former chief merchant with several leading supermarket operators. “Not all will be able to leverage this opportunity, but there is a growing trend of retailers wanting to fully control this growing part of the business.” 

eGrowcery announced a number of partnerships in 2022, including with Rouses Markets, Great Lakes Foods and DoorDash.