Proving that no sector of the retail market is safe from the online shopping revolution, it is now possible for the humble hometown grocery store to become digitized and available on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Just think: no more long checkout lines, counting the number of items to see if you qualify for the Express Lane, forgetting your grocery list at home, or carrying heavy bags up your front steps. Online grocery shopping is dramatically changing the consumer's relationship with the food market and making a service that may have once felt luxurious into an everyday convenience.
Southern grocery store chain Piggly Wiggly has recently expanded its online grocery shopping presence through the development and expansion of its Click 'n Shop program. The online grocery shopping interface offers shoppers the option of home delivery for some locations. Other consumers can still participate in the online grocery shopping experience by ordering and purchasing their groceries online and then picking them up in-store. Added savings available in the Piggly Wiggly Online Circular make online grocery shopping just as economical as in-store browsing with the paper circular. Piggly Wiggly's Click 'n Shop is currently available in 36 South Carolina stores.
One of the biggest names in online shopping, Amazon, now offers its AmazonFresh app for iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone platforms. One of the most familiar names to online shoppers, even consumers not familiar with online grocery shopping will recognize the Amazon name. The AmazonFresh app allows smartphone users to scan product barcodes in their kitchens to place the same item in their online grocery shopping carts. The AmazonFresh online grocery shopping delivery service is currently available only in the Seattle area.
A familiar online grocery shopping service to New Yorkers, FreshDirect's service area continues to expand, now reaching parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York's Westchester and Nassau Counties. FreshDirect offers both an iPhone and Android app, each allowing online grocery shoppers to easily sync their smartphone app's grocery list with the website's own interface at FreshDirect.com. The app also allows shoppers to add items from previously created orders, schedule delivery windows, and minimize those pesky forgotten items by offering the convenience of a mobile list that travels with them.
Online grocery shopping is expanding all the time, and as more and more retailers enter the market, consumers' options continue to expand. The delivery trend also seems to be on the increase, with different regional offers such as those from FreshDirect and AmazonFresh. It seems its only a matter of time before an online grocery shopping will find a way to reach a national platform. Online grocery shopping apps for smartphones like iPhones and Androids make shopping for groceries online as simple as the swipe of a finger. Though some may yearn for the friendly hometown grocery store of days of yore, it's clear that online grocery shopping is a likely part of the future. Classic American stores like Piggly Wiggly are embracing this online grocery shopping revolution, and in doing so, they reach entirely new markets.
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