Coles has launched a new online shopping technology system to help woo more online shoppers.
In doing so, the Coles supermarkets group has told The Australian that it created ‘Rover Power Pick’ which simplifies the way Coles staff access products for online orders. The system makes sure that staff members are allocated their own areas to stop them having to run around the store and to help prevent the wrong item being chosen.
Coles says “Rover Power Pick” is now being used across all of its stores which handle online deliveries.
The system has also been sold to US-based computer hardware, software and electronics company, NCR who will likely make the technology available to other supermarkets and retailers worldwide.
Since May 2015 Coles has also been trialling an online shopping tool that recognises a customer’s voice and compiles a shopping list for the consumer. Named “hiku”, the tool can too be used to scan the barcodes of products already within the home but need topping up.
New study reveals Australians are spending more dollars online
As the same time as Coles is launching its new software, a new study from CommBank Retail Insights has found that Australians are shopping online less often but are spending larger amounts when they do buy online.
The study found that the average value of online purchases haas jumped 14 per cent since the bank’s last study. The biggest growth is not in the grocery sector but is occurring within the high-fashion and electrical goods sectors.
Key online grocery shopping statistics
According to the latest IBISWorld report on Australian online grocery shopping, sales between 2014 – 15 created AUD$2.0 billion in revenue and AUD$79.9 million in profit. The same report predicts 13.6 per cent annual industry growth between 2015 – 2020.
Woolworths has a 40.4 per cent share of the online grocery market through its Woolworths and Thomas Dux stores.
Coles has lagged with a 31.6 per cent share and Aussie Farmers Holding Company has a 14.8 per cent share.
Findings from market research organisation Roy Morgan Research have also showed that Food and Beverages are among the top 5 current categories by expenditure in online shopping in Australia.
The findings showed a clear trend towards internet shopping, with Australians who do not buy something online in an average three month period becoming a minority for the first time in 2013.
Australians aged 14 and over spent $24.3 billion online in the 12 months to March 2013, an increase of 11.9 per cent on the previous year, according to the latest consumer data from Roy Morgan Research. Total retail sales, however, rose only 3.4 per cent in the same period.
