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Online consumers want assistance with grocery out-of-stocks

Retailers can retain shoppers with inventory notifications, recommended product substitutes, study finds

Russell Redman

April 27, 2022

3 Min Read
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Nearly half of online customers will shop with a different grocer if they can’t find what they need on their preferred app or website, the Lucidworks survey found.Walmart

Online grocery shoppers don’t want to be left hanging when the product they want isn’t in stock, a survey from e-commerce discovery specialist Lucidworks shows.

Of more than 800 U.S. and U.K. consumers who shop online for groceries at least once a month, 58% frequently or at every visit find a preferred grocery item unavailable, according to Lucidworks’ “Shoppers Stay Hungry Online: Groceries on the Internet in 2022” study, released yesterday. That presents a problem, however, as less than a third (30%) of e-grocery shoppers will stay on the same site or app to find a substitute and about 90% cite at least one product for which they won’t accept a substitute due to ingredients, preparation and brand.

What’s more, almost half of respondents (47%) said they will shop with a different grocer if they can’t find what they need on their preferred app or website.

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On a one-to-10 scale, with 10 being more frequent out-of-stocks, consumers rated grocery not-in-stocks at 6.82 for online and 7.1 for in-store since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lucidworks reported.

“The survey revealed that shoppers are seeing increased out-of-stock messages online during the pandemic but are open to purchasing recommended substitutes from online grocery sites and third-party apps,” San Francisco-based Lucidworks stated. “Relevant recommendations require e-commerce grocers to understand a wide range of consumer preferences, including dietary restrictions, price fit and brand loyalties, for each individual shopper.”

Related:Grocery comes of age as ‘major’ online retail category

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Retailers can address online shopper discouragement from out-of-stocks by providing more functionality, such as inventory-based notifications, Lucidworks noted. Over half of those polled said a low-in-stock notification would influence their purchase decision, and 80% of those customers would be more inclined to make the purchase if alerted when desired products were low-in-stock.

“Intelligent push-based notifications will continue to serve as a powerful tool to keep shoppers loyal and coming back for more,” Lucidworks explained. “Sixty-six percent of respondents prefer to be notified via email when an item is back in stock, and 44% of shoppers prefer to receive those notifications via text.”

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The survey also found that 20% of online grocery users want an item they like to be added to their virtual cart automatically when it comes back in stock.

Smarter searches can help grocers avoid missing merchandising opportunities by steering shoppers to substitute products that are in stock, according to Lucidworks. Yet just 28% of consumers surveyed said sites are making alternative recommendations every time an item they want is unavailable, while 11% indicated they rarely see recommendations for substitutes and typically wind up on a “no results” page.

Related:Regular online grocery users drive supermarket e-commerce sales

“This means lower average order value and a hit to customer loyalty,” Lucidworks observed. “Smart search and filtering, relevant recommendations and displaying what’s in-stock — versus “out-of-stock” or “no results” — keep customers clicking into grocers’ online aisles.”

In terms of making online grocery transactions, 59% of shoppers polled buy directly from a grocer’s website, and 25% buy both directly from a grocer and through a third-party app. Thirty-nine percent purchase groceries online once a week, compared with 31% doing so twice monthly and 30% buying online once a month. Sixty-eight percent prefer to have their orders delivered.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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