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3 areas where Aldi and Lidl have room for improvement
In the week that discounters Aldi and Lidl claimed 10% of the grocery market for the first time, I wanted to see whether these new players are all they’re cracked up to be – and why Sainsbury’s is the only one of the ‘Big Four’ keeping up.
Online shopping – I’m a big advocate of online grocery shopping, mostly because it’s hard to park outside my house and I can’t bear to have to go back and forth to the car to carry the bags in! But it also helps me keep my food shop cost to a minimum, as I am not tempted by pretty displays of chocolate or BOGOF offers om something I really don’t need.
Aldi and Lidi (currently) do not offer the online shopping experience – although if stories are to be believed, from 2016, there will be a fresh new way to shop Aldi’s range of award-winning wines and fantastic non-food special buys – from the comfort of your own home. These special buys will be everything from electronics to camping and clothing, so we shall see how that goes, but at the moment if you want a product from either the discounters you have to go into store.
Click and collect – neither Aldi nor Lidl offer this service – of course why would they, if you can’t online shop?! I had a wonderful experience last week with Sainsbury’s click and collect. I am one of these consumers that once something is ordered, I want to be able to immediately pick it up at a time and day suitable to me. With Sainsbury’s click and collect I made my order 5pm on a Tuesday and requested to pick it up the next day between 8-9am – perfect!
The whole process of ordering was easy and simple to use and on Wednesday morning I popped along to my local, brand new, outdoor click and collect groceries ‘station’ (even though I wasn’t ordering groceries). I arrived at 8:20 and there was a man with a van waiting for me and off I went! I didn’t even have to go into store,which was great as parking in this Sainsbury’s can be slightly difficult.
Brand loyalty – Heinz baked beans or everyday Aldi essentials baked beans? Decisions decisions. I am personally still very much in the mind-set of sticking with what you know. I would much rather buy something I can be sure I’ll like, rather than saving 20p and getting something that doesn’t taste as good (perhaps I need to take the blindfold taste test).
Even though the discounters are cheaper I do think a lot of people prefer brands that they are familiar with and a shopping experience that they are used to.
Lastly, I shall leave you with this point… ever seen a public toilet in an Aldi or Lidl? No, didnt think so.
