One of the biggest myths in grocery ecommerce?
That there’s a “silver bullet” solution that works for every market, every mission, every geography.
There isn’t.
Grocery is the most complex channel in retail. Full stop.
It accounts for c. 50% of global retail sales by value. By volume, it’s far higher \(c.70%\). The majority of items moving through retail supply chains are heading to grocery shoppers. Roughly a third of those are likely to be perishable, fresh products.
Layer onto that:
- Customers who won’t compromise on quality or range
- Highly price-sensitive demand
- People living in dense urban centres, sprawling suburbs, rural catchments, and all expecting the same service level
- Rising supply chain complexity
- Increasing operational costs
Online grocery isn’t just plug and play. It’s a constant balancing act across service, value and operational precision.
So how do you square that circle?
First, you have to truly understand what it means to be a grocery operator.
Ocado has 25 years of experience building and running online grocery in one of the world’s most competitive markets. Ocado Retail is regularly the fastest-growing grocer in the UK. Internationally, we partner with leading retailers across 11 countries, collectively bringing over 1,000 years of trading heritage to our platform. That depth of operational understanding matters. It shapes how we design, deploy and continuously improve.
Second, there is no single fulfilment format for every scenario, but there is a right model for the right stage of the journey.
Different geographies.
Different levels of market maturity.
Different customer missions.
You need the right tools, in the right combination, at the right time.
This has been a key part of Ocado's evolution, drawing lessons from markets and partners worldwide, and applying our expertise and R&D to develop the right tools for the challenges. It's why we work with partners to design long-term network strategies aligned to their ambitions and their market realities.
There’s no silver bullet in online grocery.
But there is experience. There is operational expertise. And there is the right technology, applied in the right way.
Our 2025 Full Year Results: https://lnkd.in/eUZCJQXV
{hashtag|\#|OcadoGroup} {hashtag|\#|OnlineGrocery} {hashtag|\#|Automation}
View post
.png)
