6 Top Options for Grocery E-Commerce Platforms in 2024
How big is the online grocery market? It clocked in at over 40 billion dollars in the U.S. alone in 2022 — and has only risen since. If you want to get in on this growing market, you need to implement a grocery e-commerce platform in your store.
Shopping for groceries online is a convenience many customers have come to enjoy in recent years. Instead of pacing your aisles, list in hand, they can scroll through your store’s offerings from the comfort of their homes, check out online, and go about their day until their groceries arrive at their front door. Offering this from your independent grocery store may feel impossible, but with the right grocery e-commerce platform in place, you can.
This post walks you through the six top options for grocery e-commerce platforms. For each, we’ll talk about its key features and give you the pricing information you need to budget for your store’s future.
Grocery E-Commerce Platform Benefits
Implementing e-commerce in your grocery store offers huge opportunities in the current market. More customers than ever are shopping for groceries and other essentials online, and tapping into that market is a wise move for grocery stores. If you want to offer this service sustainably and profitably, you need the right platforms and tools.
Related Read: Profitable Online Grocery Fulfillment: 5 Trends To Watch
The right grocery e-commerce platform lets you launch your online store quickly and efficiently. You can use your solution to design a branded website and web application that syncs your product data, inventory, pricing, and customer data into a single dashboard. Some platforms allow you to select specific items for online fulfillment or in-store pickup only, helping you manage your stock effectively. You can also use built-in promotional tools to push weekly sales or personalized offers based on customer purchase history.
A unique challenge of online grocery is large basket sizes and high order volumes. Quality e-commerce platforms allow you to schedule delivery windows based on location algorithms, giving your staff the time to prep and pack orders for accuracy and freshness. Shoppers enjoy reliable ETAs and well-packed bags.
Another benefit of using a grocery e-commerce platform is integrating a secure payment processing system into your online grocery experience. Customer payment card information is tokened and stored, keeping your store PCI compliant and maintaining a convenient online shopping experience for your customers.
In short, grocery e-commerce solutions enable stores like yours to provide the convenience of online grocery, while maintaining the personal touch of a small, independent grocery store. With this information in mind, let’s now examine a few of the best grocery e-commerce platforms you might consider using for your store.
1. Shopify
Shopify is an all-in-one e-commerce platform that works with merchants across industries. With Shopify, merchants can sell their products across every sales channel — online marketplaces, social media, online search, and in retail stores. The platform offers a POS system for in-person selling, tools for reaching customers on social media, and integration with marketplaces and search engines. Unified analytics give merchants visibility across all their sales channels.
Key features:
- Integrated POS system for in-store selling with hardware/software
- Unified back office to manage all products, inventory, and customers across channels
- Powerful analytics blending online and offline sales data
Pricing: Shopify for Small Business starts at $105 per month.
2. My Cloud Grocer
My Cloud Grocer is an e-commerce platform designed exclusively for grocers. This solution provides everything grocery stores need to engage customers and fulfill online orders. My Cloud Grocer promises an outstanding shopping experience on all devices, offering tools to engage and retain shoppers, integrating with existing grocery store systems for orders and loyalty programs. You can also use My Cloud Grocer for customizable order fulfillment and delivery options, powerful analytics, and security.
Key features:
- Outstanding shopping experience on desktop, mobile, and apps
- Tools to engage and retain shoppers like recipes and favorites
- Integrates with POS, credit card processors, and loyalty programs
Pricing: Available only by custom quote.
Related Read: 8 Trends That Will Define the Grocery Industry
3. Mercato
Mercato offers a complete e-commerce solution for independent grocery stores and regional chains to bring their in-store shopping experience online. Mercato helps you build a custom online store showcasing products and branding. You can also use Mercato for flexible delivery and fulfillment options managed by the grocer or through Mercato's courier network, integration with existing POS and inventory systems, and access to Mercato's marketplace.
Key features:
- Custom online stores replicating in-store experience
- Flexible delivery options — self-managed or fully-funded through Mercato
- Access to Mercato's marketplace and support team to drive online growth
Pricing: Available only by custom quote.
4. Local Express
Local Express is an all-in-one e-commerce solution built to help independent grocery stores compete online against large chains. Local Express offers websites and apps with custom branding and delivery options. You can also use Local Express to easily integrate existing store systems, BOPIS, delivery and shipping capabilities, and back end tools that allow you to manage the platform without needing large tech teams or budget.
Related Read: Creating Efficient Grocery Store Pickup Lines: 5 Tips
Key features:
- Branded online storefront and apps
- Integrations with existing grocery store systems
- Tools to enable delivery, BOPIS, and shipping
Pricing: Available only by custom quote.
5. Freshop
Freshop is an e-commerce platform built specifically for grocers and specialty retailers to give them a competitive advantage online. Freshop offers support for multiple fulfillment types, like click-and-collect, delivery, and endless aisle. You can also use Freshop to manage branded mobile apps for customers and store picking. Freshop also offers a complete online product catalog tied to in-store pricing and inventory, integrations with leading third-party systems for payments, and email marketing integrations.
Key features:
- Multiple fulfillment types
- Digitized weekly circulars and ads
- Mobile apps for customers and store picking
Pricing: Freshop costs $650 per store, with no percentage of sales and no per-order fee.
6. InstaCart
InstaCart offers grocers flexible e-commerce solutions to power their brand's online experience, from full-service retailer storefront builds to à la carte plug-and-play modules for fulfillment, online stores, in-store technology, marketing, and more. Retailers can choose from hardware and software solutions to enable connected stores, upgraded online stores on the InstaCart app marketplace, digital capabilities to enhance existing websites, and additional marketing opportunities.
Key features:
- Full online stores on Instacart marketplace
- Modular e-commerce solutions offering plug-and-play digital solutions
- Guaranteed 30-minute pickup and delivery
Pricing: Available only by custom quote.
Getting the Most From Your Grocery E-Commerce Platform
As we've explored, e-commerce platforms enable grocers to capitalize on booming online demand quickly. But generic solutions fall short of unifying digital and in-store shopping. For strongest growth, retailers need a point of sale system that seamlessly integrates with their grocery e-commerce platform.
This is where Markt POS delivers. Our POS suite seamlessly syncs with most major e-commerce platforms. With Markt POS, you can unify your in-store and e-commerce inventory, seeing all your data in one convenient dashboard. Markt POS equips staff with the same tools and information, whether fulfilling online orders or ringing up shoppers.
Schedule a demo today to see how Markt POS can help you unify operations and manage your omnichannel grocery solutions with ease.
