Dive Brief:

• Wegmans customers have turned to Twitter and online review boards to report numerous issues with the retailer’s upgraded app, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.
• The most common complaints include: The app takes a long time to load, doesn’t remember previous purchases, does not have a "clip all" digital coupon feature, doesn’t allow shoppers to check and delete multiple items at once, and doesn't integrate the layout of each individual store.
• Wegmans launched the updated app and a new website design on Jan. 14 following a round of beta testing with customers. The grocer said it is monitoring complaints and will make fixes and upgrades based on feedback every four to eight weeks. 

Dive Insight:

It’s hard to imagine customers being disappointed with "America’s Favorite Grocer," but that's certainly the case among some loyal shoppers as Wegmans appears to have fumbled the launch of its new app.

The company, however, has gotten out in front of this issue, providing feedback directly to consumers and local media on why it made the changes, what shoppers can expect and how it plans to fix certain issues.

Erica Tickle, the chain's director of e-commerce, along with a company spokesperson, provided point-by-point responses to the most common app complaints outlined by the Democrat and Chronicle. The new app doesn't have a "clip all" digital coupons page because the retailer wanted to integrate coupons throughout the shopping experience. Beta users were also slow to warm to the change, Tickle told the paper, “But once they got used to it, they liked it.”​ The speed of the app, meanwhile, has improved since launch, she noted, and past orders will migrate over to the app once users log out and then log back in.

There are some features Wegmans plans to change — like reintroducing a function that allowed shoppers to check and delete multiple products. But in other instances, Wegmans said, customers will simply have to get used to the updates. The new app makes online shopping features more visible, for instance, because omnichannel shopping is growing in popularity. 

Wegmans' feedback here will feel familiar to other retailers that have launched app and website updates recently. Consumers often dislike changes to apps, operating systems and other technology they frequently use. Some of this simply requires an adjustment period, but companies also need to monitor consumer feedback, understand there will need to be fixes and then quickly make them. Tickle told the Democrat and Chronicle she reads every online customer comment.

Wegmans had to deal with similar backlash in late 2016, the last time it made changes to its website and app that took a few weeks to resolve, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.

Consumers are increasingly using their phones to shop and navigate stores, meaning app updates among retailers have accelerated in recent years. Making a good first impression is imperative, and with omnichannel competition among grocers increasing, shoppers could switch to another store based on a bad app experience.