It’s an exciting time for grocery delivery. With the Canadian market forecasted to reach a revenue of $6.4B in 2024 alone, grocers are using AI like a crystal ball to help predict patterns and uncover trends so they can optimize the shopping experience all around. Not to mention, bring in more sweet sales. We’ve already explored some of the benefits of using AI in the restaurant industry, now let’s take a look at how it can help pump up your sales potential on the grocery side.
(Source: https://www.statista.com/outlook/emo/online-food-delivery/grocery-delivery/canada)
- Determine your demand.
In an effort to streamline inventory management and slash food waste, more and more grocers are turning to the power of AI. By leveraging demand forecasting, you can use historical data and current trends to predict customer demand. Not only will it help you reduce excess inventory and save some money, but it’ll also help boost customer satisfaction both in-store and through delivery by making sure your shelves are stocked with the right products at the right time.
- Predict your promos.
With the ability to analyze customer trends, sales history, and preferences, AI can help you predict when demand for certain products will peak. This allows you to proactively offer promotions on popular items when customers are most likely to crave them. For example, if you know when BBQ season sales will spike based on past behaviour, you could offer a $ Off promo discount on grill supplies to entice customers to order just in time for their weekend cookouts. Or you could run a Free Item promo and give away a pack of hotdogs to add a little extra sizzle to their order. Here’s how to add Skip promos to your platform.
- Customize the consumer experience.
These days, shoppers are demanding more personal and convenient ways to get what they want, whether they’re picking it up themselves or getting it delivered. This is where AI comes in. It can help you delve into your customers’ shopping history, dietary preferences, and past engagement with marketing communications (like emails and ads) so you can reach them on a more personal level. For example, if AI detects that a customer frequently purchases gluten-free products, you can send an automatic personalized email to let them know when new gluten-free products hit the stores.
- Foster some feedback.
We all know how important it is to get reviews from your customers. Not only do they help gauge your performance, can help improve on what you’ve already got going on so you can keep those customers coming. In addition to getting customer feedback on the Skip Portal, AI platforms, like ChatGPT, can be integrated into systems that collect reviews from users and do helpful things. For example, they can generate post-delivery surveys that ask customers to rate their experience and provide any other comments about the service. Here are a couple of other ways to get reviews — and here are a couple of ways to use them.
As you can see, AI has a knack for predicting and personalizing — two things today’s consumer wants more of, especially when it comes to their grocery delivery experience. We hope these tips help you use AI to your advantage so you can bag more customers.
