Woolworths has taken a leap into grocery shopping’s future by launching an eStore at Maroochydore that uses automated technology to fill the bulk of on-line orders.
With online orders approaching double what they were at this time last year, Woolworths has opened a 1250sq m facility at the back of its Big Top store specifically to cope with the growth.
There is a staff of 150, but the workhorse of the operation is an automated unit which can hold up to two-thirds of the most popular of 15,000-odd grocery items in a Woolworths store.
Instead of shop assistants walking the floor choosing grocery items from the shelves to fill online orders, the unit sends goods down a conveyor belt where they are then picked by staff filling orders.
Fresh foods, such as deli and seafood lines and fruit, come straight from the store out front rather than the unit.
Woolworths operations manager for the Sunshine Coast, Peta Hartley, said the cutting-edge technology would make online ordering better and more convenient for customers.
“This technology will help our team of 150 personal shoppers pick orders with greater speed and accuracy, while keeping us close to our Sunshine Coast customers for faster and more flexible deliveries to the home,” she said.
“Importantly, the eStore layout also helps reduce congestion in the aisles for our in-store customers, as our personal shoppers pick most items in the back of house.”
According to Woolworths, the auto unit will increase the speed, efficiency and accuracy of the online ordering process and allow more online orders to be delivered, including more same-day orders.
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“We can ship around five times the online order volume than we can in our standard supermarket setup,” a spokesman said.
“It’s a multimillion-dollar investment and one we’re pleased to have made to improve the online shopping experience for our Sunshine Coast customers.”
Woolworths is keen to emphasise that the automated unit does not mean humans no longer have a place in online ordering.
“All items are handpicked by our team whether in the automation solution or in our store,” the spokesman said.
The 150 staff at the eStore comprise 80 newcomers and 70 Woolies employees drawn from the Big Top store and other stores in the region.
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The eStore comes as the chain’s online orders soar.
Woolworths eCommerce sales for the quarter ending April 4 this year were 90.5% up on the same period last year.
Woolworths declined to speculate on what proportion of sales it expected online orders to comprise in future.
“Online sales sit around 8% of total sales, which is more than double what it was before the pandemic. It’s difficult to predict how it will unfold in the future and the numbers vary in different parts of the world,” the spokesman said.
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The spokesman said online ordering by customers varied slightly from in-store shopping.
“They’re broadly similar, but there is a bias towards fresh fruit and vegetable, meat and seafood for our in-store customers.
“We tend to see more packaged groceries, bulky items and toiletries bought online for delivery as part of a bigger weekly shop.”
As sales have grown, Woolworths has offered unlimited delivery subscriptions for regular orders and a Delivery Now option offering delivery in two hours or less for customers who just want to top up.
The Maroochydore eStore will handle deliveries between Coolum Beach and Wurtulla.
