Features
Supermarket Sweep
Anyone who has experienced the unpleasantness of crowded aisles and checkouts knows how frustrating supermarkets can be. And once you've finally made your purchases, you're faced with the prospect of getting everything home. If you drive, you waste time in traffic and have to tussle for a parking space; if not, you're faced with a long walk home, your fingers turning blue from the handles of those plastic bags. But there is an alternative. Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose run online supermarkets offering the same range of products as your local store.
Supermarket websites used to be slow and difficult to use. People often complained it took longer to shop online than it did to visit a store, even if they were lucky enough to have a broadband connection. There were also numerous complaints about the quality of the fresh produce sent out. But major stores have had time to develop their sites and learn from their mistakes, so we thought it was time to pay them a visit and see what it's like to do your grocery shopping online.
We did a blind buying test on all four supermarket websites, so none of the shops knew they were being tested. We spent £25 at each site and bought the same items from each store. We didn't conduct enough tests to make definitive price comparisons or judge value for money. But as you can see in the table the pictures section, some supermarkets charge more for home delivery than others. We also looked for a well-designed site that was easy to use
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PLACING YOUR ORDER
A good supermarket website, like any good website, should be clear, well laid out and easy to use. We examined each of the four sites for ease of use. All four did well. However, there were disparities between the sites when it came to registering and explaining how the process works. We found Sainsbury's made registration a lot more difficult than it needs to be. All the sites require you to create a password of some kind when you register and Asda requires a PIN.
Site navigation is an important consideration, since shopping online could become stressful if you can't find what you're looking for easily. The different departments within the store should be well organised and clearly labelled so you can find what you want without lots of hunting. A good search function is a must, so you can find specific items without browsing. We examined all these aspects and found the stores varied considerably.
We would expect offers and promotions to be as prominently displayed as they would in a local supermarket. After all, you should be able to save money just as easily online as if you physically visited the store. The best sites sort their special offers by category, such as two-for-one offers and money-off deals, and by product type. This allows you to hone in quickly on any product types you might have been looking for. We have noted in the reviews where stores are particularly strong in these areas.
Online shopping does not always give you the opportunity to check the labels on products. If you're actually holding an item in your hand, you can see at a glance what its ingredients are and its nutritional value. However, some online stores list these details for each product. Keeping an eye on what you are putting in your basket should be just as easy online as it is while in the store. We'd expect a clearly presented list, with the latest item prominently displayed, along with VAT and delivery costs, so spending can be monitored easily.
