Online grocery shopping has emerged as one of the biggest business trends of the last few years. In 2017, online grocery shopping accounted for a whopping 14.2 billion dollars, isn’t that a big chunk of change?? What's even more staggering is that, according to Forbes, that number will more than double in the next few years, with a predicted value of 29.7 billion dollars by 2021. Wowza! 

Nonetheless, 77 percent of American adults still have not used an online grocery pickup service — or OGP, for short, so imagine the possibilities… One of the perceived hurdles has to do with the time required to browse and selected the desired items online. Fortunately, that hurdle is being eliminated rapidly as more and more OGP providers incorporate voice technology into their services.

This article takes a closer look at four ways that voice technology can positively impact OGP and lead to greater sales.

1. Adding Items to OGP Order

From a consumer's standpoint, OGP offers one huge benefit: it eliminates the time spent moving up and down grocery store aisles and standing in line. Instead, customers can simply place an order from the comfort of their home and then pick it up curbside at the grocery store. Yet, as mentioned above, finding the desired items online remains a sticking point for many people.

Voice technology offers a simple and intuitive way to add items to an OGP order. A simple voice command such as "Add one gallon of milk to shopping list" can eliminate tedious browsing through an app or website. This ability has proven especially appealing to older Americans, who may not be as comfortable navigating through a store's inventory manually.

One thing to note here is that voice only pulls up one result, so the “Add one gallon of milk to shopping list” command, will add whichever brand is chosen by the store to snatch the voice spot. 

2. Adding Items to Future Shopping Lists

Anybody who has ever kept a written shopping list on their fridge knows that you don't always need everything on the list all at once. Instead, that list functions as a useful future reminder about items you may need soon. Voice technology can simulate that exact same role, by allowing users to specify items that they want to add to future lists. Later, you can then simply transfer items from your list to your active order. It’s Alexa as your assistant at her best. 

3. Getting Specific Recommendations

One of the benefits of in-store grocery shopping is finding out about items that you might not have thought you needed — or wanted. As more and more retailers are partnering with voice technology developers, they are seeking ways to simulate this kind of grocery store experience. The British e-grocer Ocado has even developed a voice skill for Amazon's Alexa that allows customers to ask about what items are in season. 

Voice apps can also be tailored to make suggestions based on other items in a customer's virtual card — or based on items they have ordered in the past. Another approach might include drawing attention to sales items and markdowns. For instance, a customer with one brand of pasta in their cart may be happy to learn that another brand's equivalent item is currently on sale at a significantly lower price. Again, the choice is determined by the store... 

4. Prompting Users to Reorder

While some grocery store items are one-off ingredients, the majority of what people buy varies relatively little. In other words, most items are purchased on a recurring basis — whether every week, every month, or every few months. Voice technology can work with various grocery store apps to track the items you buy with the most frequency.

With this data, the technology can give voice prompts to remind you to buy certain items. Furthermore, you can instruct the program to simply add certain things to your weekly or bi-weekly grocery order. If you realize that you don't actually need more of something, you can remove it from your current order with a simple voice command.

OGP is gaining more and more traction as a way to simply the grocery buying process, and voice technology has a key role to play in continuing to expand the growth of OGP systems. For us at Marley Nonami, that means building exceptional voice experiences that customers will connect with.