{"id":2388,"date":"2021-07-26T09:41:22","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T14:41:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/10xprinciples.com\/?p=2388"},"modified":"2021-07-26T09:45:12","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T14:45:12","slug":"applying-ai-ml-to-the-fatal-flaw-in-online-grocery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/10xprinciples.com\/index.php\/2021\/07\/26\/applying-ai-ml-to-the-fatal-flaw-in-online-grocery\/","title":{"rendered":"Applying AI\/ML to the Fatal Flaw in Online Grocery:
Injecting quality into order fulfillment<\/i><\/br>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two weeks of receiving zero bananas in my online grocery pickup is a crime in my banana bread-obsessed household. I suspected a COVID-related supply chain snafu but called the store to check. The online grocery website requires customers to select either green or yellow bananas. When one type of banana is out of stock, the surrogate grocery shoppers do not routinely substitute green bananas for yellow ones, or vice versa, because so many people bellyache when the bananas aren\u2019t their preferred ripeness. They suggested I phone the store each week a couple of hours before my pickup to remind them about my preference for bananas of any ripeness<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since I was motivated to get my bananas, I swallowed the low-tech ridiculousness and phoned each week. At the same time, I planned to restart post-vaccination in-person shopping to get what I wanted without these hassles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask anyone who\u2019s ordered groceries online and they\u2019ll have their own rendition of an errant banana tale. My banana embargo <\/strong>is a minor annoyance compared to the early days of the pandemic when merely procuring a delivery window was a bloodsport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, kudos to the grocers for leveling up their online shopping apps so rapidly. Now that the pandemic is waning, grocery stores are becoming crowded again and online grocery shopping is decreasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Go Back to the Grocery Store?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of reasons why people choose to go back to the market instead of continuing to shop online:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Enjoyment of the sights and smells of the grocery store<\/li>
  2. Independent people dislike paying others to shop when they can do it themselves<\/li>
  3. Objection to the costs of grocery delivery or pickup<\/li>
  4. Time window violations for deliveries or long wait times for pickups<\/li>
  5. Frozen food arrives thawed \/ concerns about adequate refrigeration for perishables \/ damaged items<\/li>
  6. Dissatisfaction with online item availability<\/li>
  7. Dissatisfaction with online item substitutions<\/li>
  8. Quality of the fresh food selected by a picker<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    In her 6\/25\/2021 Progressive Grocer<\/em> article, A Drop-off in Pickup: New Research<\/a>, Lynn Petrak cites the impending increase of in-store shopping and the decrease of online grocery shopping:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A survey from ChaseDesign<\/a> shows that about half of grocery shoppers turned to online ordering for store pickup during lockdowns and restrictions, but only about half of those consumers will continue to shop that way in the future.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Before grocers throw in the towel and deconstruct the massive infrastructure they\u2019ve just built for online shopping, it\u2019s important to note that most of the problems cited in the list above are relatively simple operational fixes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The One Big Fixable Problem<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Paying others to choose our food and dissatisfaction with the results is an immense problem that suggests a new approach to grocery order fulfillment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Petrak corroborates this point with data:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In-person shopping is seen as especially important in fresh foods and perishables, with nearly half of shoppers saying they won\u2019t buy meat or seafood online for pickup and 40% indicating that they avoid dairy, produce and frozen products. Additionally more than a third (35%) say they won\u2019t order deli or bakery via e-commerce for store pick-up.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Everyone\u2019s different\u200a\u2014\u200athis is the challenge of purchasing food by proxy. We each have our own preferences, superstitions, and oddities about selecting fresh food\u200a\u2014\u200ameat, fish, deli, bakery, and produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example, here are just some of my produce preferences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Broccoli that\u2019s firm, deep green with no yellowing.<\/li>
    2. Grape tomatoes that are bright red, but check the bottom to ensure that none are soft.<\/li>
    3. Bananas that are 6″ and more green than yellow. If green bananas are out of stock, give me yellow ones.<\/li>
    4. Cilantro with a pungent smell. If I can\u2019t smell the cilantro, I don\u2019t want it.<\/li>
    5. Watermelon with a large yellow flat side indicating it peacefully ripened in the field instead of being picked prematurely and tossed into the back of a truck. The rest of the skin should be a slightly dull variegated green.<\/li>
    6. Avocados that are soft but not too soft. Ditto pears, lemons, and limes.<\/li>
    7. Red grapes must be very firm, preferably round. If oblong, the grapes must not be too flabby. The stems must be green, not brown.<\/li>
    8. Blueberries should be firm, unwrinkled, and plump. Check the underside of the box to ensure all the berries are intact.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Granted, ranting about the firmness of my avocados is a decidedly first-world problem. Shouldn\u2019t we be grateful that grocery delivery worked so well during a global pandemic? Absolutely. It\u2019s remarkable that the industry turned on a dime and enabled consumers to receive food safely. I\u2019m eternally thankful to the front-line workers who risked their lives on my behalf and tipped generously to show my gratitude. But the aggregation of picayune complaints like \u201cthese limes are too hard\u201d <\/em>prevents online grocery shopping from fully satisfying its customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      For the most part, people employed to pick groceries are compensated for speed. More deliveries fulfilled = More $$$ for the grocery pickers. These employees have no patience, nor should they, for sample narratives like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      I want four heads of broccoli crowns if they\u2019re large and seven if they\u2019re small. The broccoli must be a deep green with no yellow on the crowns and no brown in the stems. The stems must be firm, not limp. If the broccoli doesn\u2019t meet these standards, check the organic broccoli and use the same criteria. If the organic broccoli isn\u2019t up to snuff, check the broccolini. If all else fails, just grab me a head of cauliflower, but make sure it\u2019s white and firm with no brown spots.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      Most surrogate shoppers will not accommodate this level of When Harry Met Sally <\/em>food exactitude. But these complicated decision trees are precisely how many of us shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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