elGrocer, the fast-growing grocery delivery app with ties to hundreds of major supermarkets and stores across all seven Emirates in the UAE, has revealed that the current global pandemic has pushed consumers to shift their buying patterns and profiles from going to traditional stores to opting for online purchases.
The majority of respondents who participated in the outreach revealed the concern of contracting Covid-19 still kept them away from driving or visiting supermarkets while drawing them more to the use of grocery delivery apps, which offered more convenience apart from saving them time.
Based on its recent outreach to around 700 users aimed at enhancing services, elGrocer revealed that the addition of new stores across its platform in all seven Emirates has changed the demographics and buying patterns of its consumers. The app has seen more men in the 25-44 age group using the app (registering over 150% growth compared to pre-covid times). The audience shift has also seen more users originally from South East Asia (mainly the sub-continent) at 58 per cent followed by Arab expatriates (17.9 per cent) as the biggest users of the app.
As we get used to the new normal, there has been a shift in users doing less bulk buying but more frequent buying. While elGrocer users are still buying the same products in the same quantity as before, they seem to be more budget-conscious, driven by online promotions and special offers. The addition of a wider range of stores to choose from gives them the flexibility and accessibility to goods as retailers strengthened their supply chain to ensure better stock availability.
“In Q4, we will see how these trends continue to evolve. These changes in buying patterns are driven by the fact that consumers in the UAE are conscious about their spending across different segments. Residents across the Emirates are now more promo-driven, more price-sensitive and less brand loyal” said Xavier Nunes, CMO at elGrocer.
elGrocer continues to innovate and improve its services through direct dialogue with consumers through various means like this recent online survey. The company now offers nearly 80,000 products on its platform and is using the results of the study to not only add more retailers in all the Emirates but also continue to improve consumer journey.
Despite a plethora of grocery apps now available on various platforms, users are still looking for options that would offer a wider choice of shops and products on the platform, with an affordable minimum basket size, reduced delivery fees and ensure the order is delivered to their doorstep, in full and on time.
elGrocer CEO, Raed Hafez, underscored the importance of satisfying customers and added value. “Customer experience for us is key and we needed to talk and find out not only what we did right, but also understand what our customers expect from us so that we can continue to offer what they need from us. We also needed to understand the changes in users pre- and post-Covid,” he said. “At elGrocer, we not only work to ensure shopping convenience, but we also take time to understand our consumers’ needs, especially during these critical times.”
