Dive Brief:

• ShopRite's deli-ordering app has undergone a revamp and now has a new name and features, the grocery store chain announced Wednesday. Launched in 2016, the app is one of four that ShopRite offers for customers.
• Now called ShopRite Order Express, the deli app lets shoppers order platters and catering and customize cake orders in addition to the app’s original function: advance orders of deli meats and cheeses for faster pickup. 
• The app, formerly known as ShopRite Deli & More, will automatically update, so customers who already have it on their phones won’t have to download it again. New users can find the app in their phones’ app stores or scan a QR code on signs inside ShopRite stores. Shoppers can either log in to their accounts or browse as guests on the app. 

Dive Insight:

The app’s update comes at a time when grocers — fueled by a boom in grocery app downloads during the pandemic — are looking to make shopping more convenient through online ordering while hitting the sweet spot for customization. 

Shoppers using ShopRite Order Express can now get platters, catering, food from the grill and other items like floral arrangements and balloons. Some items like sandwiches, pizza and rotisserie chicken will be available for both pickup and delivery at select stores, according to the press release. The custom cake builder allows shoppers to personalize the flavors, filling, frosting colors and messages on their cakes.

In May 2018, BJ’s decided to expand its mobile deli ordering pilot to Massachusetts and Rhode Island stores. A year later, Schnucks unveiled plans to launch a Deli Order Ahead feature in its rewards app at more than a dozen stores in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. In January, Publix partnered with Instacart on a new digital deli counter, allowing shoppers to customize their sandwiches via Instacart Meals and add them to their grocery order for delivery.

Adding features can provide shoppers with a more seamless experience. In a similar bid to streamline online ordering, Walmart merged its two apps — one for grocery items and the other for retail items — in May, saying the change was prompted by shoppers’ desires to not have to switch between the two apps. 

ShopRite hasn’t gone quite as far as Walmart has with combining its apps. In addition to the ShopRite app, which offers digital aisle shopping, the company lists three others — ShopRite Rx, ShopRite Mobile Scan and ShopRite Order Express — for users to consider downloading. ShopRite Rx is specifically for pharmacy-related needs, while ShopRite Mobile Scan allows users to scan and pay for groceries with their smartphones at participating stores. 

ShopRite’s digital deli counter is separate from mobile orders for center store items like toilet paper, beauty products and produce, but the new features give online shoppers choices beyond deli meats and cheeses.  

The grocer has taken other steps in the technology realm this year, from piloting a salad-making robot named "Sally" at its store in Carteret, New Jersey, to virtually connecting shoppers to dietitians.