Grocery delivery is losing ground – Kommersant FM

In Russia, demand for food delivery has decreased. These are the results of a survey by the analytical service GEO.Platforma. Every fifth respondent said that they began to use the option less often. Most often, consumers explain the decrease in interest in delivery by rising prices for goods, inconvenience of applications, poor assortment and longer wait times for orders.

Companies in this segment really have problems, notes Data Insight senior analyst Olga Pashkova. According to her, in order to improve the service, sites will have to increase delivery costs: “The quality of delivery is most likely now affected by the difficult situation with couriers, there are not enough of them, they are expensive.

Delivery operators do everything to maintain current quality and are continuously working to improve the efficiency of courier delivery. They also strive to reduce its cost by combining several orders, reducing idle runs, planning routes using IT systems, and using delivery robots where conditions permit. These measures may help offset both shipping costs and quality.

I think we will soon come to an increase in delivery costs, I’m not sure exactly this year, but some stores are already testing hybrid options. For example, Vkusville has introduced a separate payment for express delivery, which takes 30 minutes; non-urgent orders are delivered free of charge. And people actively use it, although they can receive the same service, but over a longer period of time.”

According to the survey, the most common problem is spoiled products in the order. Almost a third of respondents answered this way. Consumers also complained about incomplete packaging, and 14% of respondents found themselves in a situation where products were not delivered at all. However, surveys poorly reflect the real situation on the market, says Ivan Fedyakov, general director of the information and analytical agency Infoline:

“There are two things in surveys that need to be taken into account very carefully and carefully. Firstly, this is a subjective view that may differ from reality. Often, when consumers say in surveys that they go to the store to buy healthy food, they then come out with a bottle of beer and a bag of chips.

Secondly, it is very important to be able to read survey results correctly. Speaking about the fact that every fifth Russian has become less likely to use food delivery services (which may well be true), we must take into account that the remaining 80% could not only refuse delivery, but also increase the volume of their purchases.

The market is growing and, I think, is doomed to grow over the next few years, because among delivery users there is a noticeable trend towards an increase in the volume of purchases. Relatively speaking, previously the family made orders only in a situation when something had run out and they needed to get it urgently, but they continued to go to the hypermarket once a week for the bulk of goods. And now this same family is increasingly using delivery and is stopping visiting stores altogether, at least grocery stores.”

According to the Infoline agency, the online food sales market has grown by 50% in 2023. The indicators increased most strongly in the fourth quarter, in the pre-New Year period.

According to preliminary estimates, the annual market volume may exceed 250 billion rubles, analysts say.

---

Everything is clear with us – Telegram channel “Kommersant FM”.

Maria Shirokova