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Online Grocery Shopping: Best Online Stores That Deliver To You
This article was originally on GET.com at: Online Grocery Shopping: Best Online Stores That Deliver To You
Online grocery shopping has been one of the greatest blessings to those who hate to lug heavy grocery bags home. For urban Singaporeans who are often busy and work till late, you can be sure that the trend for online shopping is here to stay.
Not only is it convenient (scrolling for items on your mobile phone can't get easier!), it saves you time from going to the store and queuing during the peak after-office hours, and you don't even have to carry all those heavy bags on your own!
If you are new to this, we can help! GET.com has compiled the 4 Best Online Grocery Stores here in Singapore so that you can take your pick.
In This Online Grocery Store Delivery Guide:
Grocery Stores With Delivery Service
Saving Tips For Grocery Shopping
Grocery Stores With Delivery Service
Established supermarkets here have had online grocery delivery services for a while but the trend didn't quite take off. Why? Well, I suspect one major reason was the delivery cost.
For instance, Cold Storage charges a minimum of $7 for an order above $60, and $12 to deliver for an order value that's less than $60.
NTUC Fairprice is similar as well – delivery is only free if you spend above $150 and you use your NTUC Plus! Visa Credit Card or debit card to make the purchase.
I think the real game-changer was when RedMart came on and tweaked its way into the consumer's heart. Following their success, a number of others tried to provide similar services with varying outcomes.
1. RedMart
Image source: Redmart via Facebook
I'm not afraid to say I'm a regular user of RedMart, even after I've tried others. First up, the amount to qualify for free delivery is easily reached with just $49 and $30 for new customers.
Just for this point, it has already won over those who are regulars at the established Cold Storage and NTUC.
In terms of variety, it has over 14,000 product selections, and the great thing is that the company has tied up with individual shops that specialise in a variety of products that offer items not readily available at large supermarkets.
Looking for organic virgin coconut oil? Checked. How about Italian truffle butter? Check that as well.
There are a number of delivery slots for you to choose from, and from my experience so far, they've only been late once out of more than the 10 times I've ordered from them.
And lastly, one of the key points to their success could have been the ease of their user interface when shopping online.
While most of us are not user experience experts, with such a tech-savvy population and a rapidly growing mobile-shopping trend, companies should really invest in the design of their user interface and I think RedMart has just hit the sweet spot with this.
2. Honestbee
Image source: Honestbee via Facebook
Honestbee aims to provide a similar service to RedMart but the business model is entirely different.
Recently launched, the startup makes use of freelance shoppers to help fulfill shoppers' orders. Their selling point is that they are able to satisfy orders which demand same-day delivery.
One thing I found about the pricing is that Honestbee offers you the product at the same price as what you'd find in stores, whereas I'm not sure how RedMart prices its items.
For the latter, items can be cheaper or more expensive when compared to buying physically from a store. But if that's a concern, there's always a great filter to find out what's on sale.
Honestbee lists its items by the shop you want to buy from – NTUC, Cold Storage or Gastronomia, but it means you are not able to choose from say buying a pack of pasta from each of these stores.
In terms of my personal experience, I've tried Honestbee once upon a friend's recommendation but I must say I was sorely disappointed.
The items were late for more than 2 hours, and when they arrived, the ice that was packed to keep my yogurt order cold was melted.
This probably meant that the yogurt was out in the open for more than 2 hours because I got a message at 3pm to say that the shopper had already picked up the item.
Having said that, I did make a complaint and they were pretty prompt in rectifying it with a gift voucher. Well, guess I'll need to give them a try again.
I think for any of these companies, ordering fresh items that require refrigeration or freezing can be a little touchy especially if delivery timings are compromised.
For a start, consumers may want to try out buying pantry items and non-perishables to test them out first.
Fresh Food Deliveries
Because I prefer to get my fresh food at a physical store, I mostly use online grocery delivery for items that are heavy or bulky for me to carry.
I usually shop online for things like laundry detergent, canned food and toilet paper. For those who are looking for fresh food items, you might want to look at these services instead.
3. PurelyFresh
Image source: PurelyFresh via Facebook
PurelyFresh claims that it delivers “the freshest groceries directly to your doorstep”. Because it focuses on the freshness of the food delivered, it places emphasis on quality checks on the food and provides chilled transportation.
PurelyFresh has its own staff to pick out groceries for each client and one great advantage is that it offers 7 time slots a day, all the way till midnight (great for those who work till late).
Although PurelyFresh offers other grocery essentials, a look at the relatively small selection tells you that it's not their forte.
However, this will work great for those who cook often and do not have access to markets around their area.
You can even customise your orders, such as getting your chicken minced or having your fresh fish sliced! You'd need to spend at least $69 to qualify for free delivery.
4. GoFresh
Image source: GoFresh via Facebook
Similarly, GoFresh's focus is on fresh food as well. The company focuses on premium quality food, so it's not the cheapest place to go shopping.
The service is great if you want premium food or are looking to prepare a special festive meal which requires specialty seafood such as fresh oysters, premium sliced beef for shabu shabu or Alaskan king crab.
The company is also innovative in providing food “bundles”, such as bundles for a seafood BBQ, a specialty hotpot selection of meats, vegetables and seafood, as well as a basket for local veggie stir-fries.
They've even teamed up recently with Mission Juice to provide cold-pressed juice bundles! Delivery is free for orders above $60.
With such a variety of grocery delivery services offered here, it does seem that the model is a thriving one. What's your experience shopping with these merchants? Let us know!
Saving Tips For Grocery Shopping
Would you like to save money on groceries? Check out our 5 smart tips to help you save money on your groceries. Also, remember that since you're already buying online and using a credit card to pay, you can save money by using the right card!
Look for a credit card that offers cashback, points or discounts on grocery purchases. Here's our pick of the best credit cards for grocery shopping.
What do you think? Share your comments with us below!
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