Case Study:
Waitrose Online
Context:
Waitrose, a premium UK supermarket chain, has a strong customer base for its online grocery delivery service, but it faces challenges in increasing customer retention. Many users, especially busy families and professionals, struggle to consistently order their groceries every week due to various blockers such as forgotten time slots, lack of meal planning features, and no option for recurring orders. The goal is to explore ways to simplify the shopping experience and increase weekly retention.
Discover
Hypothesis: If Waitrose.com offers the ability to create recurring “standing orders” (or subscriptions), then customer retention will increase due to the convenience and streamlined ordering process.
Competitor Analysis:
Competitors:
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Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Ocado: All offer online grocery shopping with recurring delivery options. Some have a few integrated subscription services.
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Able & Cole: Subscription-based delivery for organic produce. They have a comprehensive and highly effective standing order subscription service.
Indirect Competitors:
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Milk & More, Meal Kits (Gousto, HelloFresh): Offer convenient, recurring deliveries but focus on niche areas like dairy or meal kits.
Industry Trends:
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Online grocery shopping continues to grow, driven by convenience, especially among families and working professionals.
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Subscription and “standing order” services are becoming more popular, providing customers with ease and eliminating the need for repeated orders.
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Meal-Kit subscriptions are becoming a popular solution for balancing the simplicity of designated ingredients and the health benefits of a freshly prepared meal.
Time-Poor
Professionals
Busy Mums
Food Quality-Conscious People
User Insights
Buyer insight 1
"I want a subscription option that automatically replenishes my regular items. It seem like such unnecessary waisted time to keep ordering the same things"
Buyer Insight 2
"I often save my order with something that meets the minimum spend like 4 bottles of prosecco. I mean to go back and put in my real grocery order but I've forgotten so many times now and received 'prosecco deliveries' I've just given up on ordering with Waitrose altogether now."
Buyer Insight 3
" I love the idea of a standing order but I don't want the same things every week. I get things like milk and bread every week but I only order in rice every 2-3 weeks. It would be great if you could specify when you wanted things to arrive on a rolling basis and then never have to worry about it again."
Define
User Journey
Currently, the user journey looks like this:
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Log in to Waitrose Online.
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Choose a time slot for delivery.
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Select items manually.
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Checkout and wait for delivery.
Pain Points:
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Forgetting to book a slot or amend an order.
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The need to repeat the same process every week without any automation.
Big Takeaways
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Busy customers need a solution to reduce friction in the weekly ordering process.
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Competitors are offering flexible recurring delivery solutions, which is an attractive feature for the target market.
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A “set it and forget it” service, like standing orders or subscriptions, would make ordering groceries much easier and help with retention.
The Problem
The core problem is that Waitrose Online is losing customer retention because customers often forget to book a delivery slot, don’t have an option for recurring orders, or are unable to easily manage their orders consistently. This results in inconsistent orders and customers turning to other platforms that offer more streamlined, automated services.
The Goal
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User Perspective: Simplify grocery ordering to make it easier to shop every week, with automatic reminders and recurring orders.​
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Business Perspective: Increase retention and revenue by converting one-time, or 'every now and again' shoppers into loyal, recurring customers.
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Quantitative Goal: Decrease customer churn and increase repeat orders from loyal users.
Develop
Feature Prioritisation & MVP Definition
High-Level Features:
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Standing Orders: Recurring weekly/monthly orders for essential items (e.g., milk, bread, fruits).
Google Calendar Integration & Notifications: Integration with Google Calendar to send automatic reminders for delivery slots and changes.
Recipe & Meal Kit Ordering: Seamlessly allow users to order ingredients for their favorite recipes, creating a “meal prep” convenience.
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RICE Scoring:
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Standing Orders: High priority (addresses retention and convenience).
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Google Calendar Integration: Medium priority (increases user ease but secondary to standing orders).
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Recipe Ordering: Low priority for MVP (there are competitors already focused on this).
Solutions Explored:
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Standing Orders: Automatic orders for weekly essentials to streamline the process.
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Google Calendar Integration: Remind users of delivery slots, making the process more seamless.
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Meal Kit Options: Allow users to purchase pre-selected meal kits for easy cooking.
User Interviews & Feedback:
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Standing Orders: Users loved the idea of recurring orders. Many felt it would be a huge time-saver, reducing the effort needed to place weekly orders.
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Google Calendar Integration: Positive feedback, as users felt it would reduce stress and help avoid missed deliveries.
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Meal Kits: Some interest, but users generally preferred a solution that didn’t require them to commit to specific meals each week.
Final Solution
The final solution is the Standing Order feature, integrated with Google Calendar notifications. Users can select essential items to automatically order each week or month, with reminders sent to their calendar. This reduces the effort involved in re-ordering regular items and allows for last-minute flexibility.
Launch & GTM Strategy
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Release Strategy: Soft launch with top users and influencers to gather initial feedback and refine the feature.
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Promotion Channels:
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Email campaigns targeting Waitrose’s loyalty card users.
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Website banners on the home page to announce the new feature.
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Push notifications during checkout to inform users of the new option.
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Social media campaigns and influencer promotions to drive awareness.
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Measuring Success
Key Metrics to Monitor:
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North Star Metric: Retention rate and the number of standing orders placed.
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Leading Indicators: Increased sign-ups for standing orders, usage of calendar notifications.
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Lagging Indicators: Increased revenue and improved customer lifetime value.
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Counter Metrics: Unused notifications, low engagement with standing orders.
Future Iterations
Potential Future Features:
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Meal Kit Integrations: Offer flexibility with meal kit options to complement the standing orders.
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Expanded Notifications: More granular notifications for changes in standing orders, special promotions, etc.
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Personalised Shopping: Use user data to personalise order suggestions based on past purchases.
Closing Summary
The introduction of standing orders with Google Calendar integration and meal kit options aims to address the key pain points of busy, time-conscious shoppers who want to streamline their grocery shopping experience. By reducing friction and making it easier to place recurring orders, Waitrose can improve customer retention, increase weekly orders, and differentiate itself in a competitive grocery market. This solution will not only help customers save time but also foster long-term brand loyalty.