AmazonFresh: Ready for the Big Stage?
AmazonFresh testers have much praise to give the service, suggesting that the grocery delivery operation from Seattle-based Amazon.com might be ready for a larger stage, especially if and when it finally acquires Whole Foods Market’s stores, new research from Field Agent reveals.
In a qualitative study, the Fayetteville, Ark.-based research firm went in depth with 20 testers of the service, most of whom said they really like what they see, especially when it comes to convenience, delivery speed and ease of ordering. Some 65 percent of users described the service as “convenient.” Meanwhile, 82 percent of users said that using the service was as easy as or easier than they expected, and roughly the same said that delivery time was as short as or shorter than what they expected. Ninety-five percent said that their delivery was on time.
Freshness, too, was lauded, with 95 percent of the users reporting their order arriving very or extremely fresh. This is important, given how critical freshness is to ecommerce success.
The only complaints? Costly delivery and membership fees. Only 15 percent of the testers described the service as “affordable.”
“The part I dislike about this service is that on top of a steep monthly fee, there is a hefty delivery fee if you don't spend at least $40,” a 29-year-old female tester from Philadelphia said.
Overall, 83 percent of the testers said that they would be moderately, very or completely likely to use the service again. Additionally, 84 percent said the same when it comes to recommending the service to a friend. No one said that they wouldn't return to it or recommend it.
“In this new way to ‘go grocery shopping,’ the website is the store,” Rick West, CEO and co-founder of Field Agent, told Progressive Grocer. “And if shoppers don’t feel the delivery process is simple and easy from start to finish, they’ll look at the extra fees and say, ‘It’s just not worth it – I’ll keep shopping in stores.’”
West noted that Field Agent’s studies continually show that would-be online shoppers are concerned about the quality and freshness of their groceries. Shoppers don’t like that they can't see their apples and avocados before buying them, and they worry that personal shoppers won’t pick fresh ready-to-eat produce.
“The majority of AmazonFresh users in our study gave high ratings to the service for freshness, condition of groceries, and packaging," he said. "Moreover, of 199 total products purchased by our agents, only 2 were substitutions due to out-of-stocks. All this bodes well for AmazonFresh and grocery delivery on the whole.”