Six Tips for Buying Groceries Online

Ordering your shopping online has seen a boom in recent years, partly due to the pandemic and partly due to the rise of better apps and ecommerce websites for ordering online. Supermarkets are offering their own apps for ordering, whilst third party developers are also developing Deliveroo style applications for ordering groceries.

With that being said, here are our top tips for making sure you still buy great food when ordering online.

Familiarise Yourself With the Platform

For some people, it might be a little difficult to wrap your head around how the website or app works for ordering your shopping. Take a little time to explore the site. You should make sure you know where you can find the food you want, how to add it to your basket, and how to make any changes to your order later on for the best experience.

If you’re using a third party application, your delivery driver will often be someone picking up your order from the shop as a customer. Consider this when ordering, as they may fall foul of items being out of stock or other issues.

Choose Substitutions

If you have the option to, it’s a good idea to choose your preferred replacement items should something you ordered not be available. This is a particularly good idea if you are cooking to a recipe, where only certain ingredients will work well.

This is especially important at the moment, as what’s in stock is changing constantly due to issues with the supply chain, so make sure you’re well prepared in case of disappointment.

Look Beyond Your Supermarket

Although supermarkets are increasingly leading the way on online shopping, that doesn’t mean they hold a monopoly over the field. As the technology becomes more accessible, so too do other options for buying food online. These days, there are even butchers that deliver! So make sure you shop around to find great food options when looking online.

Choose Your Delivery Window Strategically

If you’re ordering your shopping online from a supermarket, you’ll often find that certain delivery windows are more expensive than others. If you team up with your neighbours, and all order a delivery for the same evening, then you could save on your delivery fee. This is because the delivery drivers won’t have any extra distance to travel, as they will already be in the area.

If you can’t organise this with your neighbours, then have a look at the delivery slots that have lower fees. This can be a good indication that a delivery is being made nearby around that time, so try to make yourself available for that time.

Order Before You Run Out Of Food

There’s nothing more stressful than awaiting a delivery of shopping whilst growing increasingly hungry as you’ve run out of food. A good way to avoid this issue is by keeping an eye on your supplies, and making sure that you order in advance of running out of things to cook. It’s absolutely no fun having to haul food from your door to your fridge on an empty stomach!

Be Nice to Your Courier

Your courier is doing all the hard work getting your food into their van or on their bike and transporting it to you, so the least you can do is say thank you to them! If you can, leaving them a tip either via the app or in person is likely to be greatly appreciated. At the very least, try to answer the door and have your food unpacked promptly, so you don’t make them run late and interrupt their schedule.