Personalisation and convenience – the ultimate combo

Incisiv’s Grocery Industry 2021 Digital Maturity Benchmark highlights the importance of personalisation in the online grocery shopping experience. According to the report, dietary restrictions play a role in over 50% of food purchasing decisions. However, only 13% of grocery retailers offer dietary profiles.

“Not being able to shop easily based on dietary preference degrades the whole experience for the consumer,” observes Northfork Co-founder Erik Wallin. “It means shopping takes longer and the task is less enjoyable. With the technology we have, there’s really no reason why customers shouldn’t be able to enjoy a far more personalised approach.”

Technology in action

Personalisation is at the heart of the Northfork shoppable recipe experience. It goes hand-in-hand with delivering maximum convenience for consumers. Retailers and third-party publishers can use Northfork’s technology to enable their customers to browse recipes suited to their dietary restrictions and preferences. The consumer can then fill their shopping cart with a recipe’s ingredients with a single click or tap. Personalised. Convenient. Simple.

Health and wellbeing

As our awareness of the links between diet and physical and mental wellbeing grows, so too does demand for food that meets personal preferences. Veganism is a great example. Between 2014 and 2019, the number of vegans in the UK quadrupled. And in January 2021, a record 500,000 people signed up to the Veganuary challenge.

Dietary restrictions used to be driven by allergies or other necessities. Now, an increasing number of people are personalising their diet through choice. 23% of 18 to 24 year olds in the UK, for example, choose to abstain from consuming alcohol.

“Personalisation is important,” concludes Northfork’s Erik Wallin. “Whether consumers are making lifestyle choices or avoiding certain foods because it is unsafe for them to eat them, retailers need to build dietary personalisation into their digital grocery shopping offering. Consumers expect more in this area. The industry needs to race to catch up.”