The online grocery discovery problem

While same-day delivery and free returns are eroding much of the rest: we’ve now reached the point that it’s not clear that there is anything that cannot be bought online. But actually, the real barrier now is often not touching it, but knowing about it. These are things where a lot of the role of a physical shop is curation, recommendation and dem... See more

Apps like Instacart itself will become key marketing platforms. Instacart is fully aware of this, and is moving quickly to become an ad platform. The top Instacart result becomes the new endcap placement. How long before the algorithm’s out-of-stock replacement suggestion becomes the most hotly contested spot?

While social media has created opportunities for purchase inspiration similar to a beautifully-merchandised department store window, we’re still in the early days of Instagram Shops. Replicating discovery in the way that people organically find things in-store has so far proved elusive, resulting in fewer opportunities to grow transaction size.

However, the one model that I am the most excited about is browsing e-commerce. Current leaders, Amazon, Alibaba or JD, are mostly search based — users know what they want, they search for it on the app, and find the product within the first scroll. Browsing e-commerce is a model where users come with the intent of having fun, much like going to a ... See more