E-commerce websites development in 2019: Food&Grocery among the growing categories

Even in Italy, as in the rest of the world, the e-commerce websites development is experiencing an exponential growth. The turnover is constantly increasing and there is no sign of stopping, as noted by some of the most important institutes and observers, such as Nielsen, Netcomm, Osservatori Digitali and Casaleggio Associati.

In 2018, the value of online purchases reached 27 billion ( 15% compared to 2017). Among them, about 1.1 billion euros will be brought back to the Food&Grocery sector, recording a +34% growth compared to the previous year.

In 2018, Food&Grocery accounted for about 4% of Italian eCommerce demand overall. A value that is much lower than other international markets but which nevertheless indicates that significant progress has been made in e-commerce website development about food and grocery, a sector with very large growth margins.

The keyword is experientiality; the ongoing transformation of the relationship between consumers and food, which digital food operators are called to recognize and make their own, is significantly involving the so-called customer journey. Is is the path that starts from the identification of the product to buy, passes through the selection to the order and payment and ends with its delivery.

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This Digital Food Revolution will help increasing the development of search engines optimized for the search of clubs and restaurants through advanced geolocation. Also, it will be useful for the multiplication of restaurants and shops websites and the growth of e-commerce websites development for purchases.

Through the differentiation and the increment of these services, we will also overcome one of the main obstacles to the increase of the field in Italy; the deficiency of the offer. 

The update will guarantee a diffused territorial cover and a reasonable homogeneity of the proposed services. It will thus surpass the "leopard spots" distribution typical of the previous phase, with a high concentration only in some large cities such as Milan and Rome, or in some regions - Lombardy above all.

Digital innovation is therefore at the heart of the Food&Grocery game. The use of technologies such as blockchain and big data will affect both the production chain and the business models. It will integrate the traditional and the digital channels, also involving logistics and distribution chains (such as delivery services, management of flows and warehouses, mobility and regulations for the transport of products).

Purchases will be transformed into real experiences with specific relationships, through the offer of new services such as subscription services and the use of voice assistants and chatbots. All this for the development of e-commerce websites more and more rewarding for the customer and efficient for the seller.

As part of the e-commerce websites development, what will be the online purchasing practices of Food&Groceries that will grow in the coming years?

The currently most popular online segment is food and wine, the only one whose offer reaches a truly national territorial coverage. This is because they sell less perishable and more sought products, such as coffee capsules, wine and local quality ingredients.

Online catering and home delivery of ready food is a growing sector, although current data circumscribe it in the urban areas of Milan, Rome and Turin. On the other hand, it is an activity that benefits from extensive menus, quality products and fast delivery, which will ensure the increase in customers and the value of purchases.

However, online spending is the purchasing practice that dominates the Food&Groceries sector for what concerns the overall diffusion and growth prospects. The reasons for the e-commerce websites development success are the saving of time and, in some cases, of money.

It is in this context that takes place the project of StreetMarket360. A real service which aims to be the first in Italy linked to the sale of public areas and neighborhood markets. Is also has the goal to bring the experience of local banks to the homes of the e-commerce services users. In these online shops you can buy fresh food, preserving your savings and controlling the seasonality of fruits and vegetables, just as it would be if you were buying in your neighborhood market.

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