Groceries Go Digital: How the Pandemic Turned the UK into Online Shoppers

More than three quarters of people in the UK now do at least some online grocery shopping, according Waitrose’s August 2020 Study “How Britain Shops Online: Food & Drink Edition”. Meanwhile, Retail Economics reports that consumer behaviour is evolving “at a frightening pace" and the single largest challenge for retailers is to meet, if not exceed, customers' expectations. Founded in 1904, Waitrose has relentlessly kept the customer and it’s people at the heart of its business, pivoting to meet changing social trends for over a century. Most recently, having accelerated its online expansion, Waitrose.com is on track to treble its size to become a £1bn business by the end of the year. Its revamped food innovation centre has seen the recent development of 5,000 new or reformulated products. As a result, Waitrose has become one of the UK’s most enduring and best loved iconic brands, with an unrivalled reputation for customer care and culture in the workplace. Martin George, Head of Customer, Waitrose, joins Suki Thompson, Founder and CEO Let’s Reset & Xeim Director/Oystercatcher Chair, for insights and forecasts into the rapid change of shopping behaviour the importance of culture in the fast-paced world of grocery retail.