How do you plan an online grocery order?

With online grocery shopping the physical layout of the shop disappears, but the decision does not get easier; the screen’s own arrangement takes its place. Three things decide the plan: how the list is turned into a basket, what happens when a product cannot be found, and which hour of the day the delivery falls in.

Below we look at what is visible on the screen, how the list is carried into the basket, the substitution decision, the information you need to see before buying, the effect of the delivery hour on the cold chain, and how an order becomes repeatable.

What takes the place of the shelf on a screen

In a physical shop the choice is steered by eye level, the route along the aisles and the checkout front. On a screen none of those exist; the order of the search results, the featured products and what you have bought before take their place.

That second arrangement is quieter, because it does not look like a shelf. The first three options that come up while you are searching for a product do not have to be the best sellers in that category.

We covered the same question briefly in this tip; here we look at how to plan the order from start to finish.

How the list is turned into a basket

The advantage of making a list on a screen is that the search starts from the item on the list. Every word typed into the search box is a decision point; when a word that is not on the list is typed, a product that is not on the list enters the basket.

So the order matters: first the items on the list are searched for one by one and put in the basket, then you look at what is missing. Browsing after building the basket gives the same result as finishing the list in a shop and then wandering the aisles.

We covered how to prepare the list in this guide; the only thing that changes on a screen is where the list is carried.

What comes instead of a product that cannot be found

The problem of an online order that has no counterpart in a shop is substitution: if the product you chose is not in the warehouse, something similar is put in its place. That decision is made while you are not there.

The substitution preference is set in most apps while the order is being built; if the option left is “send something similar”, the ingredient list of the product that arrives may differ from yours.

For someone with an allergy that distinction is not a preference but a limit. In that house substitution is kept switched off and the missing item is completed on the next round.

What you need to see before buying

Label information is compulsory on a screen too. The regulation requires the compulsory label information for foods offered for distance selling to be available before the purchase is concluded.

So the ingredient list, the allergen emphasis, the net quantity and the nutrition declaration must be visible before the order is placed. If they are not visible, what is missing is not your attention but the product page.

This puts the screen a step ahead of the shop. Where you would have to turn the package over on the shelf to read it, on a screen the same information sits on the product page and two products can be opened side by side.

Why you learn the date at delivery

The single exception to the rule is the date. The best-before date and the use-by date are not counted among the information that has to be presented before purchase; all the compulsory information is presented at delivery.

That turns into a practical habit: for short-life items the date is checked at the door. If the time left is shorter than you planned for, that item is brought forward in the week.

The delivery hour enters the day’s plan

The delivery hour decides not only when you are available but also how long it takes the product to get into the fridge. An order placed for an hour when nobody is home means a cold chain waiting at the door.

The guideline’s measure is clear: perishable products should be put in the fridge within at most two hours without the cold chain being broken, and within at most one hour in hot weather.

That time is taken into account when choosing the delivery window. We covered what to do with what arrives in the first half hour in this guide.

Frozen and perishable items

A frozen product must not have thawed when it is received, and there must be no ice crystals inside the packaging; both of those show that the temperature rose during transport.

The same attention applies to the packaging. A product with torn or damaged packaging, and a tin with a bulging lid or a dented can, are not accepted; they are handed back at the door.

Making the order repeatable

The real gain of shopping online is that the decision you made stays recorded. A product whose label was read and chosen once is not compared again on later rounds.

So the first few orders take a long time and the later ones get shorter. The items bought regularly form a fixed core; the only things that change weekly are the fresh produce and the items specific to the menu.

The one situation that calls for another look is a change in the product’s formula. When the packaging image changes, looking at the label once more is enough.

In short: search the list item by item, set your substitution preference in advance, check the date at the door and put the delivery in an hour when you are home. The shopping and label reading guide completes the label side.