E-commerce grocery retailers should offer personalization.

A new survey reveals the types of features and services that draw shoppers to online grocery retailers.

According to a results recent poll of 1,000 U.S.-based adults about their grocery sentiments emailed to Chain Store Age from search-as-a-service platform Algolia, a leading 30% of respondents said they would most like their online grocer to provide personalized deal recommendations based on what’s in their cart or past purchase history.

Another 17% said more convenient pickup/delivery options, and 16% said personalized recipe suggestions based on what’s in their cart or past purchase history. Interestingly, 38% of respondents said they don’t need any additional online grocery offerings.

The survey also asked respondents to reveal their biggest online grocery shopping pain points:

• Produce selection (40%)
• Inability to find what you are looking for (30%)
• Incorrect selections (27%)
• Inconvenient pickup/delivery options (18%)
• Impersonal/irrelevant deal and/or recipe recommendations (14%)

Close to three-in-10 respondents (28%) reported no significant issues with their online grocery shopping experience.

Recipe inspiration and shopping

The survey also asked respondents about their habits in discovering and shopping for recipes. Two-in-three (67%) adjust their recipes and grocery shopping habits based on the season, including 77% for those with kids. 

Popular fall seasonal events for baking and cooking include Halloween parties (46%), football tailgates (37%) and “Friendsgiving” get-togethers (35%). When looking for baking and meal inspiration for these events, 45% of respondents say they find their fall baking or meal recipe inspiration on social media, with 22% looking specifically on TikTok, including 53% of 18-24 year-old respondents.