Do You Save with Online Grocery Shopping
Online grocery shopping is advertised to be fast, convenient and sometimes even money-saving, which sounds like a life-saver to busy Singaporeans who can’t seem to find the time and energy for grocery shopping. However, do grocery shopping sites actually live up to these claims? We evaluate four of them and find that you may indeed save time or money, but you may have to bear with the imperfect service provided.
Redmart
Started in 2011, Redmart boasts a selection of over 25,000 items and delivery is free on orders over $49 for returning customers and over $30 for new customers. Orders below the minimum spend are charged a flat delivery rate of $7. This is a relatively low benchmark for free delivery, compared to household names such as FairPrice and Cold Storage, with free delivery over $150 paid with an affiliated credit card and a delivery fee of $7 for purchases over $60 respectively. Redmart delivers 7 days a week all year round, from 10am to 10pm. You even get to choose your own 2-hour delivery slot. However, disgruntled customer reviews on their Facebook page seem to suggest that delivery isn’t always punctual and customer service is lacking.
Redmart offers a Price Match Guarantee on regularly priced beverages and alcohol. In the event that Redmart’s regular prices are higher than FairPrice’s or Cold Storage’s regular prices in-store or online, Redmart will pay the customer twice the difference in credits and drop their prices.
Furthermore, not only is the desktop site easy to navigate, the Redmart app is also available on Google Play and the App Store.
Honestbee
Honestbee is a very new start-up, having begun operation only in 2015. Honestbee offers a vast range of over 40,000 products, and fast same-day, 1-hour delivery. It advertises that your shopping is done for you by professional concierge shoppers. Delivery is free on orders over $30 for returning customers and a flat rate of $10 is charged for purchases below this minimum. Honestbee’s current offer for new customers is $12 worth of free groceries with a minimum spend of $100. A minimum of $30 for free delivery is more than reasonable. However, Honestbee faces the same problem as Redmart – their Facebook page shows mixed reviews from customers.
Kenny Grocery
Kenny Grocery was started in 1997 and provides 100% organic food. Delivery is free on all orders above $50 and same-day delivery is also available, as long as you order by 2pm on weekdays and 1.30pm on Saturdays (for the month of July). Having been in operation for over 10 years, Kenny Grocery enjoys a good reputation, although our only gripe is the variety of products is far less than those of Redmart and Honestbee.
PurelyFresh
Entrepreneurs behind the PurelyFresh name have been in the fresh food industry for over 10 years. PurelyFresh’s focus is on the quality and freshness of their food – they provide a full money-back PurelyFresh guarantee. Any unsatisfactory products are refunded with no questions asked. Delivery is free on orders over $69 and a flat rate of $6 is charged for orders below $69. As of now, new customers enjoy $15 off their first order and $40 off their subsequent order PurelyFresh delivers 7 days of the week, with 7 time slots in 1 day up till 12 midnight. For orders of fresh fish, chicken, pork and meats, you can even customise the preparation of these meats by stating your wish in the order comments.
PurelyFresh has been featured on numerous media outlets and newspapers, such as TODAY, The Straits Times, Channel NewsAsia, Channel 8 and Yahoo!. The PurelyFresh Facebook page also reflects excellent service. The site works great for those who wants to buy fresh food rather than an all-in-one service where you can find some household staples such as detergent and paper products.
