Tesco offers lower cost grocery deliveries

Friday, March 7, 2014 - 10:01 by Graham Miller

For many people, the main issue with buying their groceries online is that the majority of supermarket chains still charge for delivery. So consumers need to balance this cost against the expense associated with driving to the shops themselves and picking up their own goods.

But now Tesco is hoping to make more of its customers migrate to its e-commerce platform, as this month, it is giving everyone the chance to claim £30 off the cost of any deliveries, according to Retail Week.

Last week Tesco spokesperson, Robin Terrell, said that the firm would be fighting back against the rise of its competitors by pricing its online delivery solution as aggressively as possible and it seems that this discount is the initial stage of these plans being put into action.

Terrell admitted that people were being put off shopping online with Tesco because of the costs associated with delivery, but this discount, coupled with other schemes already rolled out by the firm, are helping to combat any concerns that may have been present.

He also wanted to make clear that customers were being given total control over their experience, not being forced to conform to a rigid set of bundles. This ability to determine how things play out online is certainly something that customers will value.

In 2013, Tesco's online sales hit £2.5 billion and it even managed to make a healthy profit on this figure, suggesting that while major investments have had to be made to get to this point, e-commerce grocery sales are finally becoming a commercially viable avenue.

Of course, with Morrisons entering the market in 2014, there will be even more competition around, which should be good news for consumers hoping to make more savings.