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How to Shop for Groceries Online

16:37 Mon 24th May 2010 |

Fast, easy, and convenient - what more could you ask for when doing your food shopping online? Online shopping has seen a huge growth in recent years, and it now seems that doing the weekly shop on the net is a real breeze. A survey of 1,500 e-shoppers found that it takes around half an hour to shop online, compared to an hour and a half in 2001.


Can online shopping save you money?


There are various ways that people make savings by going online to shop, such as being more focused. People who do their grocery shopping from home often find that they plan ahead better in terms of what they need to buy. Sitting in front of a computer and having to think about what food is needed can be a more effective process than wandering round a supermarket doing a virtual tour of the kitchen cupboards and working out a shopping list as you go.


You could save yourself even more money online as you won’t fall into the impulse buying trap which so many shoppers do. Supermarkets have devised various ways to make shoppers buy things that they don't actually need or even really want. They have areas that smell good, areas that look good and special offers all over the place. Buying online to a shopping list can simply help avoid impulse buys. Most people will simply buy what they know they need without distraction.


Well known stores such as Waitrose and Tesco have come out on top in recent findings, showing that they are consistent in their customer service as well as being noted for low prices. With such a competitive market you should expect prices to drop even more rapidly as food suppliers compete to be the number one for online sales.


An obvious money saver is the amount of fuel people will use will decrease as they no longer have to leave the house to get all the groceries they need plus any household products, which might need replacing. No traffic or traffic jams – simply pick a delivery slot and wait for your groceries to be delivered to your door.


Factors to consider:


Online grocery shopping may result in a delivery charge in some cases. This may depend on which supermarket is used and how much is spent on orders. Even if there is a delivery charge many people still find that they still easily save enough to make this worthwhile. Bear in mind that delivery costs and general shopping costs can often easily be compared between supermarkets by using an online comparison service.


With such competition online with almost every business taking advantage of internet technology, the food industry is also stepping forward with online food ordering systems - This system is just like a secret recipe for grocery stores to boost up their revenues.

Since life has become fast and people have become more internet savvy, online food ordering has proved to be a convenient and effective way of getting food at home without having to tackle the dreaded wobbly trolley and frenzy of shoppers.


In a recent survey it was reported that 69% of shoppers believe that online shopping is good for the environment, with more than 2 in 5 believing also that shopping online reduces their personal carbon footprint.


32% of online grocery shoppers choose not to have carrier bags when offered compared to 26% that do, showing again that as well as being eco friendly we are also cutting down costs even more.


Online shopping is synonymous with saving money, so get the world delivered to you on a plate and become internet savvy in order to best utilise the World Wide Web and what it has to offer its keen shoppers.

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