Are you one of those who likes to go to the supermarket to buy your pantry and refrigerator or do you prefer to do it from home, comfortably sitting on the sofa? There is no doubt that the purchase online has grown exponentially in recent years, with a sharp rise during the months of the pandemic, when this type of purchase became massively widespread. In Spain, food saw a significant change in 2022, with 39% of buyers online who acquired fresh food and drinks this way.
Despite this data, which shows us that many people opt for the convenience of buying onlineIs this the most profitable way to buy? Is it more expensive to do this than to go to the supermarket?
Procurement online: reasons to choose it
Shopping from home has many benefits. One is that instead of having to go through even more aisles and aisles looking for the product we need, we get a complete grocery list in just a few minutes. In addition to being practical, it’s fast, we have an infinite number of products at our disposal, we can compare prices and even consult the opinions and ratings of other buyers.
It’s also easier for us to see product offerings because the products are clearly labeled, and we don’t have to worry about whether the labels have been swapped or are inaccurate. Often we can even find a section on the website where all the offers appear, saving us from having to go through the entire supermarket to see them.
with purchase online We have the possibility of accessing all the current promotions from home without having to get lost in the shelves. And here we have a new point in favor: when we buy online we can observe the amount of purchases and how it increases as we add new products. In this way we have better control over our budget, which most of the time is allocated to products such as dairy products, rice, biscuits and cereals, as well as pasta and nuts, according to this survey carried out by the center AINIA technology.
Another way to save on purchases online It’s just that it’s less tempting to buy on impulse. Who hasn’t this thing ever happened to them when they come home and wonder why they bought that bag of chips or those cookies that they didn’t need? with purchase online This impulsivity is considerably reduced. And it also offers us the possibility to plan our purchase by adding products to our favorites, which will be saved for later.
And, as if that wasn’t enough, and if we don’t have the inspiration to prepare today’s dinner, many sites offer recipes and ways to cook the products they sell in blog form.
To this whole list of advantages with the purchase online We can include one more: saving gas to go to the physical grocery store and, why not, the time we need to shop in person, although in this case we cannot quantify it in economic terms.
However, despite all these benefits, we must take certain precautions while doing so. From the Spanish Food Safety Agency (AESAN) they explain the questions we should ask ourselves before buying food online: who we buy from, what we buy or what we need to check when we receive the order.
Experts point out that this type of purchase should not involve additional costs. Therefore, the website on which we purchase must include, as mandatory information and in a clear and accurate manner, the price of the products or services, indicating whether or not it includes taxes and shipping costs.
What signs should make us suspect that something is not working? However, we should be wary if the price of the product is much lower than we would expect or if we cannot find complete and clear information on the price, guarantee or right of withdrawal. Also if the price of the products appears in a currency other than the euro.
Buying at the supermarket, the great ally of savings
Despite all of the above, there are still reasons to put on our shoes and go to the supermarket to stock our refrigerator and pantry. Among other reasons, because it can be easier to save. Going to the supermarket offers us the possibility that, even if we are considering buying a certain product, once there we can find an alternative that interests us more because it is on sale at that specific moment.
We often find great discounts if we purchase multiple units of a 2×1 style product, which is very familiar to us. In the case of foods, we can freeze them if we do not need them at that specific moment, but we will not have to worry about whether they have a distant expiration date since they will remain in good condition longer. In the case of packaged or hygiene products, a good pantry will allow us to take advantage of discounts and accumulate products to use later.
However, in the event of purchase onlineIf it is very large, shipping costs can be high, while if we transport it ourselves we save this expense. Although these vary from supermarket to supermarket, we can save on shipping costs if we are the ones going to the store.
Compare prices to save, both in the supermarket and from your computer
Another good way to save money when making a purchase, whether you do it online like in person, it’s comparing prices. And both allow us to do that. The traditional way is to visit several supermarkets and buy everything where it is cheapest. Or like today, like the 21st century, that is, by observing the prices on the supermarket sites, whose catalogs are already digitized and, therefore, it is possible that we can find a good discount in placing our order thanks to promotions. .that they offer.
But the fact is that even if we don’t feel like comparing prices ourselves, we can use a comparison site. onlinewho will do the work for us.
Many supermarkets, both for shopping online Like the one in person, they offer loyalty cards, with which we can accumulate money with our purchases or benefit from promotions and gifts.
