The grocery e-commerce trend isn’t slowing down any time soon. Nearly a third of Americans regularly order groceries online, and these online shoppers spend 162% more than in-store customers.
Adopting an e-commerce strategy can help you capture these customers and make more sales — but you’ll have to build an attractive website, track and fulfill online orders, decide on your pickup and delivery logistics, and spread the word about your online grocery options.
These tasks might sound like a tall order, but the right grocery e-commerce software can make selling groceries online a breeze. In this blog, we’ll share our eight favorite grocery e-commerce software solutions and how they can help you become your neighborhood’s go-to for convenient online grocery shopping.
Grocery E-Commerce 101
Before we look at specific providers, let’s cover the basics. Grocery e-commerce software plays three crucial roles, serving as:
- A platform where customers can browse your offerings and place orders
- A payment processing solution that lets customers finalize orders and pay for their items
- An order management system that lets you track and fulfill grocery pickup and delivery orders
There are also three main types of grocery e-commerce platforms. We’ll take a closer look at each later in the blog, but here’s what you need to know for now:
- All-in-one grocery point of sale (POS) and e-commerce software lets you manage your online and in-store operations from one platform.
- Standalone grocery e-commerce platforms integrate with your grocery store’s POS system, syncing your inventory and sales records to reflect online and in-store sales. These tools usually include a website builder to help you create a custom online grocery store.
- App-based marketplaces let customers browse and order from multiple grocery stores on one convenient, mobile-friendly platform. These marketplaces usually handle the logistics of processing payments, gathering items, and delivering orders.
Our grocery industry expert, Luke Henry, recommends an omnichannel approach, allowing customers to find and order from your store across multiple channels. For example, they can shop in-store, place a pickup order on your custom website, or use an app to have their groceries delivered.
Now, let’s look at our favorite all-in-one, standalone, and app-based grocery e-commerce software solutions.
All-in-One Grocery POS Systems and E-Commerce Platforms
If you’re in the market for a new POS system and an e-commerce platform, consider going with an all-in-one solution. These comprehensive tools include all the features you need to manage in-store and online operations in one single platform.
Let’s look at a few of our favorite POS and e-commerce systems.
- Square: Square offers simple, sleek POS and e-commerce software that allows you to build a website, list products for sale, process transactions, and do basic inventory counts. Square isn’t designed specifically for grocery stores, but we’ve included it because it’s a user-friendly, affordable introduction to POS and e-commerce platforms. Square’s most popular pricing plan starts at $29/month.
- National Retail Solutions (NRS): NRS is a POS solution designed for retailers in all industries. They offer standard POS features like payment processing and inventory tracking, as well as an add-on e-commerce service that lets you build a custom website, track online orders, and sync your in-store and online prices. NRS’ most popular POS pricing option starts at $34.95/month, and you can expect to pay an additional $39.95/month for e-commerce.
- Lightspeed: Lightspeed is a powerful, all-in-one POS solution that promises to help retailers in all industries grow. Along with tools to manage in-store operations and online sales, Lightspeed offers multi-location inventory and reporting features to help you expand your grocery store’s footprint. Lightspeed is one of the most expensive POS and e-commerce options, with prices ranging from $109 to $339/month.
An all-in-one solution can save you time and simplify the onboarding process, but keep in mind that it’s a significant commitment. If you’re unhappy with the POS software or e-commerce experience, you’ll have to switch to entirely new technology.
Standalone Grocery E-Commerce Platforms and Website Builders
If you love your current POS system or want to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket, a standalone grocery e-commerce platform might be the right fit. Standalone grocery e-commerce software solutions integrate with your POS system and let you build a website, list products for sale, and manage online orders.
Here are three excellent grocery e-commerce tools to check out.
- Freshop: Freshop is an e-commerce tool designed specifically for grocers. Their platform is designed to be user-friendly for you and your customers. Shoppers can browse and shop from their laptops, mobile devices, or even a white-label app. Freshop also offers an in-store app to help you and your team track and fulfill online orders. This provider doesn’t publicly advertise pricing, so reach out to their sales team.
- GrazeCart: GrazeCart is a unique e-commerce platform for farms and specialty food retailers. This software is a great option if you sell perishable goods like meat, artisan cheese, and produce by weight. GrazeCart also includes a sales-boosting subscription option to help you generate repeat business. Use GrazeCart’s custom pricing tool for an instant quote.
- Local Express: Local Express is a grocery e-commerce software solution designed to make selling online easy. They offer pre-built templates and a universal library of common grocery products to save you time and simplify the setup process. Contact Local Express for pricing information.
If you choose this approach, our number-one tip is to find software that integrates seamlessly with your POS system. This will eliminate back-and-forth between your POS system and e-commerce platform and ensure your inventory and sales records reflect your in-store and online sales.
App-Based Grocery E-Commerce Marketplaces
Want to take advantage of the grocery e-commerce boom without investing time and effort into building a website and manually fulfilling online orders? Online grocery marketplaces might be your best bet.
These app-based marketplaces feature your grocery store alongside other neighborhood supermarkets, let customers browse multiple options, and manage the order fulfillment and delivery processes.
Here are two of the most popular online marketplaces.
- Mercato: Mercato lets you create a custom storefront for your grocery store within their app, giving you the chance to reach new customers. Mercato’s couriers handle online orders from start to finish, accepting, shopping, and delivering customers’ orders. Head to the Mercato website to learn whether your store is eligible to become a merchant.
- Instacart: Instacart is a popular grocery shopping app that lets customers browse different stores, place online orders, and enjoy convenient pickup and delivery services. Like Mercato, Instacart has a fleet of couriers who will handle the order fulfillment process. Visit Instacart’s website to see if they offer grocery delivery in your store’s area.
These platforms expand your grocery store’s reach, help you attract new customers, and do the heavy lifting of preparing and delivering online orders. However, these providers often charge a commission on each order, so you may have to inflate your prices to turn a healthy profit.
Get Started With IT Retail’s Grocery E-Commerce Software Partners
Choosing the right grocery e-commerce software is critical — but success also starts with the right POS system.
IT Retail is a POS solution designed by and for grocers like you. With our software, you can manage perishable inventory, build a loyal customer base, and manage promotions like a pro.
Plus, IT Retail integrates seamlessly with any of the standalone and app-based grocery e-commerce software options we’ve covered, including GrazeCart, Freshop, Local Express, Mercato, Instacart, and more.
Ready to attract new customers and make more sales? Schedule your personalized demo with one of our grocery industry experts today.
