In round two of Grocery Gazette’s ‘Battle of the Grocers’ series, we ask our panel of retail and FMCG experts which supermarket is top of the league when it comes to online shopping.
Which supermarket will come out on top – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose or Ocado?
Phil McMahon: “Tesco’s website is clean, organised, and user-friendly, with prominent Clubcard/Aldi Price Match offers.”
Peter Cross: “I liked the sound of the cleverly named “Trending” area, which I visited hoping for precious insights into how Britain was shopping on a particular day but was faced with lots of cans of Coke, various flavours of Pringles and some minted lamb kebabs. Who am I to argue?”
Vineta Bajaj: “The site is busy and lacks focus with Tesco’s multiple verticals such as banking and F&F dominating the landing page. Grocery could be offered as a separate website in order to make the user journey clearer and more intuitive.”
Phil McMahon: “Tesco’s online shopping experience is straightforward, making it one of the easiest platforms to navigate among the major supermarkets.”
Peter Cross: “There’s a helpful WhatsApp option for sorting out any issues.”
Vineta Bajaj: “The homepage is dominated by offers and the sponsored listings are prominent across most product searches. Product groupings are confusing and contain multiple sub menus which forces the user into repeated filtering to find their products.”
Phil McMahon: “The app is even better than the website, offering a more streamlined and responsive experience. It’s less cluttered, which enhances its usability on mobile devices.”
Vineta Bajaj: “There is a consistent and intuitive category menu and the barcode scanner in the search field allows for quick and easy product identification. It is less busy with a much more sophisticated search and scroll function.”
Vineta Bajaj: “The checkout process is both direct and efficient. Refreshingly, once the checkout process has begun, Tesco doesn’t try to upsell products through offers or promotions, except notifying of existing incomplete offers. Payment options include Mastercard, Visa, Amex or Maestro with Klarna also available as a soft credit alternative.”
Phil McMahon: “It’s functional, but the payment process lacks flexibility, particularly with the absence of Apple Pay, Google Pay, and the inability to use Tesco gift cards online.”
Vineta Bajaj: “There are plenty of options for delivery with hourly slots available from 7am to 11pm and with prices ranging from £3 to a fairly pricey £7 for peak times. Minimum orders are £50 and there is an additional £5 surcharge where the minimum order isn’t met. There is also an option for Tesco’s speedy delivery service called Whoosh which guarantees delivery in from 20 to 60 minutes for a fixed price of £2.99.”
Phil McMahon: “Tesco’s delivery service pricing structure is overly complex. ‘Delivery Saver’ has five different plans with various charges and benefits. The ‘Anytime’ plan doesn’t include Whoosh, so not quite anytime then.”
Peter Cross: “Delivery slots seem easy to get, communication has always been strong and the drivers helpful and kind.”
Phil McMahon: “It’s clean. The navigation is less cluttered than say, Tesco, but it could do with some menu visuals to help guide shoppers to the right products more quickly.”
Peter Cross: “I find it the gentlest on the eye and the easiest to navigate. I also liked the helpful ‘Occasions’ tab which, whilst may not be as inviting as some of the more upmarket brands, did the job.”
Vineta Bajaj: “The additional services they offer are presented as neat, subtle logos in the header which don’t distract the user from groceries as the focal point.”
Phil McMahon: “It’s user friendly, but the need for a separate Chop Chop app for rapid delivery is a drawback. Integration of that service into the main app would simplify the experience.”
Vineta Bajaj: “The site’s product categorisation after search is quite clean and intuitive with the use of Nectar Price on products informative and non-evasive. Many products do have inconsistent product tagging; for example in certain fresh food or chilled sections, products had sporadic shelf-life tagging.”
Phil McMahon: “Lack of product visuals on the dropdown menus make it feel a step behind some competitors.”
Vineta Bajaj: “Sainsburys notably makes poor use of the screen space and the landing page contains limited content which impacts the customer experience. The app is cumbersome on navigation, and feels a bit dated in terms of design and UX. The user reviews against each product are a nice touch.”
Phil McMahon: “It’s as easy as with any of the old ‘Big 4’. The Chop Chop app does have Apple Pay and Google Pay enabled but…that just highlights that the website and principal app don’t.”
Vineta Bajaj: “Sainsbury’s presents multiple ways to pay including Mastercard, Visa, Amex or Maestro. The payment process itself is smooth though there is an intrusive two stage process of “before you go” and do you want to buy any more of your “favourites” before you can finally check out. This is both delaying to the consumer and salesy and the volume of choice feels counterproductive given the user is ready to pay.”
Vineta Bajaj: “Hourly delivery slots are plentiful from early in the morning until late in the evening for a range of prices. There is a use of green slots which is a nice sustainability option. Users are presented with the choice of a £40 minimum shop, as well as the option to have a lower basket value of £25 and paying for a higher delivery charge.”
Phil McMahon: “The frequent unavailability of early and late slots in some locations suggests possible staffing issues rather than high demand.”
Peter Cross: “A recent grocery freshness investigation placed the brand at the top of the list for delivering items with the most imminent use by dates and a few shoppers I could see moaning about substitution rates. Customer reviews of the speedy Chop Chop service are shocking…something clearly needs a bit of work here.”
Phil McMahon: “Asda’s website is modern, visually appealing, and leverages retail media very effectively to enhance the shopping experience.”
Vineta Bajaj: “Asda has built a clean landing page which focuses on generic offers across all of their brands such as George and Asda Money but this doesn’t detract from the user experience.”
Phil McMahon: “It’s highly intuitive, with product grouping images adding an extra layer of ease to navigation.”
Vineta Bajaj: “For the most part, Asda provides more consistent product tagging of shelf life expectancy and there is useful signposting to products which are on offer.”
Peter Cross: “I initially liked the idea of the friendly and efficient ‘Ask Asda’ chat function until I realised it was a bot who seemed only able to respond “Sorry, I can only help with orders that you placed online” regardless of the question.”
Phil McMahon: “The app offers a consistent experience with the website, maintaining high usability and convenience.”
Vineta Bajaj: “Asda’s app broadly mirrors the website, though is considerably less intuitive. The limited filtering options make it less suitable for users with specific needs.”
Vineta Bajaj: “The checkout process is clean and seamless. Payment options include Mastercard, Visa, Amex, Solo, Maestro and Delta.”
Phil McMahon: “Payment is straightforward but could be improved with the inclusion of more modern payment options like Apple Pay and Google Pay.”
Vineta Bajaj: “A minimum order of £40 for home delivery, or £25 for click and collect is required to avoid the £3 surcharge if the threshold isn’t met. This is on top of the usual delivery and carrier bag fee. Costs range from a very reasonable £1.50 to £5 and delivery slots start at 6am, running through to 11pm.”
Phil McMahon: “The Express service is enabled by partnerships with Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat and costs a whopping £8.99 when ordering from Asda. That makes no sense though when you can just order through those partner apps directly for a lower fee. In contrast, Asda’s Midweek 12 Month Pass offers great savings for families and individuals who place frequent or high-value orders.”
Peter Cross: “One claim to fame is the cheapest delivery pass in the land.”
Phil McMahon: “The website feels a bit dated and lacks the more modern look and feel seen in some competitors.”
Peter Cross: “I was intrigued by the ‘When its gone its gone’ section which I presumed would offer deals which are too good to miss. Not the prettiest experience.”
Vineta Bajaj: “At the top of the homepage, Morrisons has an eye-catching, auto scroll carousel of images showcasing offers, breadth of range and seasonal products, which is a good way to convey a number of messages without cluttering the user experience. The Morrisons website is powered by the same technology as Ocado Group giving it a similar look and feel.”
Phil McMahon: “It’s easy to use, and the Price Match tab in the fixed menu is a smart way to highlight deals.”
Peter Cross: “The ‘Inspire Me’ recipe section was cute (whereby you type in the random ingredients left in your fridge) but typing in milk and cheese only gave me one option which was a little disappointing.”
Vineta Bajaj: “The groceries homepage is dominated by ads and offers which take up 100% share of voice. Navigating the site is straightforward with each category led by products on offer and details of what the offer is.”
Phil McMahon: “The app is visually superior to the website and easier to navigate thanks to the imagery on the menus.”
Vineta Bajaj: “The transition from the website to the app is good, and there are features such as the barcode reader on search which allows for efficient product identification.”
Vineta Bajaj: “A seven-step checkout process is overly cumbersome and long-winded. It provides the customer with many opportunities to have checkout fatigue and discourages the ease of online shopping. Morrisons payment options are more limited than other stores, only accepting Visa, Mastercard, Visa Debit and Amex.”
Phil McMahon: “The payment process is straightforward, but the 5% pre-authorisation might be problematic for shoppers on tight budgets.”
Peter Cross: “Minimum order value for delivery is £25 which will be appealing to shoppers on a budget.”
Vineta Bajaj: “Morrisons provides a very extensive range of delivery times and pricing, starting at 5:30am and running through to 11:30pm with prices ranging from a competitive £1.50 up to £6.50. Morrisons also gives the option to get a delivery pass which is competitive in its pricing.”
Phil McMahon: “Delivery options are limited by technical issues, particularly when switching from click and collect to home delivery. The scarcity of click and collect slots further diminishes the convenience.”
Phil McMahon: “Simple yet elegant, the website aligns with Waitrose’s premium image. Retail media is used sparingly and effectively, and maintains a more minimalist aesthetic.”
Vineta Bajaj: “Waitrose has a clean landing page that showcases the range as well as offers and seasonal offers. The site is mainly driven by promoted products and product placement, rather than showcasing brand values and choice.”
Phil McMahon: “The site is easy to navigate, though sorting by ‘Top Rated’ lacks clarity, because it doesn’t actually present products in any sort of obvious logical order based on ratings and/or total number of reviews.”
Vineta Bajaj: “Pricing and user reviews are clearly laid out and a simple heart feature allows for items to be added to favourites. Despite the search function being easy to use and intuitive, the categories are weak, for example when searching bread, categories to filter include “back to school.”
Vineta Bajaj: “As with the website, categorisation within the app is far from optimal. Whilst Waitrose makes use of a consistent menu at the bottom, that seems to be the only option. Menus with submenus means it takes some time to get to the meat (literally) of the app, and requires the user to focus on search only.”
Phil McMahon: “The app is consistent with the website. I wouldn’t describe it as markedly better or worse, but that’s a good thing.”
Vineta Bajaj: “Upsell is minimal and the checkout process is considerably shorter than that of Morrisons or Ocado.”
Phil McMahon: “Payment options cater well to Waitrose’s affluent customer base, including the John Lewis Partnership Card and American Express, but like others, the absence of Apple Pay and Google Pay is a missed opportunity.”
Phil McMahon: “Waitrose has the most straightforward delivery options. It’s £4 for any one hour time slot, £2 for any four hour time slot, and free for any click and collect slot.”
Vineta Bajaj: “Having a minimum £40 spend without the ability to have a lower basket and higher delivery fee can be limiting to new customers wanting to try the service. There is plenty of availability five days in advance, though the delivery range is shorter than other retailers, running from 7am to 10pm only.”
Phil McMahon: “The website feels overly busy and somewhat outdated, with too much content crammed into each screen.”
Phil McMahon: “There is possibly just too much choice in a lot of categories, and the checkout process requires far too many clicks to complete.”
Peter Cross: “The customer practically glides through the whole experience from start to finish. Highlights include the nifty highly visual basket on a page and the price promise refund off future shops, but its the overall effectiveness of the service which won this business full marks from me.”
Phil McMahon: “The app is a significant improvement over the website, with a modern design and better use of visuals for navigation.”
Phil McMahon: “Ocado excels in payment options, offering Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, and PayPal.”
Phil McMahon: “Ocado’s extensive delivery slots — from 5:30am to midnight — offer unmatched convenience, especially for shift workers. Delivery charges vary, but it does give new customers free deliveries for the first three months, which is certainly not to be scoffed at.”
