Yesterday I shared about my first experience with the grocery delivery service, Shipt and how it’s going to change my life. It also made me realize how easily our deepest loyalties can jump the tracks.
For 10 years I’ve been a BIG fan of Aldi. It’s small, easy to navigate, I know where all the products are, the quality is good and the prices are ridiculous compared to other grocery stores. And I love the mystery isle, that black hole with random items week to week.
I’ve been a committed believer for a long time. I know every Aldi’s location within 15 miles. Never would I have imagined anything ripping me apart from this allegiance.
Enter Shipt and Instacart.
Neither offer delivery from Aldi. But is that enough? No, because it’s doubtful I would adopt a weekly grocery delivery service from Harris Teeter. I feed 5 people and the quality difference between Aldi and the Teeter isn’t great enough to pay that much more just for delivery. The value proposition fails. But Shipt does deliver from Lidl, another grocery chain comparable to Aldi. Similar prices, similar quality.
One delivers, one doesn’t.
One offers an unique selling point of life-changing proportions. The other doesn’t.
I didn’t see it coming. I wasn’t looking to solve a problem. I didn’t realize I had a problem that needed solving. Then someone showed me the light.
No business can get comfortable. Customers are loyal as long as you continue to meet their ever-evolving needs better than anyone else can at the price point they can live with. I was loyal to Blockbuster until Netflix.
Your customers may not be looking to solve any problems either, but what happens when a competitor shows them easier ways to do day to day things that your customer accepted as a way of life, the cost of doing business? Try not to leave that door open.
And don’t blame your customer for a lack of loyalty. It’s your job to keep earning it.
Aldi, sign up with Shipt or Instacart and I’ll be back. Well, my money and my personal shopper will be.
Onword and Upwords by Dennis Brady 