The rise of online grocery shopping has meant saying goodbye to finding parking, navigating shopping aisles, queueing and then dragging around heavy bags. Plus, you can easily compare prices across retailers and track spend from the comfort of your home.

“Beyond savings costs, online grocery shopping's greatest advantage lies in its sheer convenience of enabling you to browse and buy essentials without leaving the comfort of your own space” says Mpudi Maubane National PR, Communications and Sponsorships Manager at The SPAR Group.

“Whether you are a busy parent, a stay-at-home mom, or a ‘nine to five’ worker, shopping online means you have time to focus on what is most important. All it takes is a little planning and you can reap the benefits of saving time and money while enjoying simple, convenient shopping experience”.

Some things to think about when shopping for groceries online:

1. Make planning easy. Having a weekly meal plan means buying only the groceries you need. There is no waste, and travelling to the shops is avoided, which means petrol savings. With a few clicks, you can add items to your virtual cart throughout the week, creating a modern-day shopping list (which also helps ensure you don’t forget essentials). And there’s no need to rush to the store; your groceries come to you.
2. You can make healthy choices. Online shopping reduces temptation for impulse buys. It helps you stick to your shopping list and avoid grabbing unhealthy snacks on a whim. Through its network of community stores, SPAR also offers shoppers the advantage of ordering their favourite local products that may be unique to certain stores.
3. Choose a trusted platform. If a platform places the delivery of quality, freshness, and customer satisfaction at the top of its list of promises, it’s worth considering. To make sure that your choice is correct, check consumer sites, read customer reviews, and get feedback from friends or family. This is the surest way of getting the service you deserve at the prices you expect.
4. Check delivery options. Delivery options vary across platforms. Deliveries could be same-day deliveries, next-day deliveries, or follow a schedule. The delivery service with the options that best suit you is the one to consider. With scheduled deliveries, some timeslots in peak periods may be in high demand, so it's worth booking in advance.
5. Inspect product details. Get to know the app you’re using, explore the product lines and the search function. Pay attention to product descriptions, sizes on offer, quantities available, product expiry dates, information covering sourcing, ingredients and nutritional content. Online shopping helps you know which products are available and choose substitutions when needed. If your favourite product is out of stock, the app suggests alternatives.
6. Compare prices and promotions. Saving money while shopping online means reviewing promotional items and comparing prices. This feature allows the prices of different brands (and different retailers) to be checked against each other. Looking out for discounts and using loyalty programmes like SPAR Rewards can also reduce grocery bills.
7. Be aware of fees and minimum orders. Many online grocery platforms charge delivery fees or for free orders, require orders to exceed a stipulated minimum value. Learn about the platform's pricing structure and policies to avoid surprises.
8. Consolidate orders. Making extra savings and meeting minimum order requirements is easy if you get together with neighbours and friends and pool orders so that only one delivery is made to a single address. Bulk buying works on the same principle – products and savings can be shared.
9. Stay flexible. Although online grocery shopping is convenient, it is possible that the availability of some branded products could vary.  Being open to substitutions or alternative brands will ensure you get an entire order – and you may even be surprised. Most platforms cater for brand preferences and specify alternatives to ensure that orders meet expectations.
10. Review the service and providing feedback. By reviewing the service and giving feedback on any issues, you will help platform owners address and improve their features, products and services.

With the rise of the online grocery shopping revolution, the importance of living close to retail centres is reducing. This is significant for those living in rural or outlying areas as it means that orders can be placed from home instead of paying for transport costs to buy groceries.

“Deliveries to these households mean more money can be spent on groceries. The SPAR2U app, specifically, also uses local companies to make deliveries in townships and rural areas – not only changing the shopping experience, but also contributing to building and empowering small businesses which in turn provide employment opportunities particularly the youth as delivery drivers. With a network of 459 SPAR stores participating across the country, we do not doubt that the value we provide to communities will increase steadily over time,” concludes Mpudi Maubane.