Staggering growth for grocery delivery apps amid coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

With COVID-19 now a national pandemic and many being told to stay and work at home, it’s no surprise that grocery stores are seeing a big increase in downloads of their delivery apps.

According to Apptopia, Instacart, Walmart Grocery, and Shipt saw their daily downloads surge by 218%, 160%, and 124%, respectively, over the past month. A typical recent day for Instacart saw as many as 20,000 downloads per day, but on Sunday, March 15th, the app was downloaded 38,500 times.

In addition to grocery store apps, Target has also seen a huge jump in its app downloads, with an increase of 98% daily downloads in March compared to a typical day in February.

What brands win during a crisis?

This spike shows that brands people love and trust become their go-to during an emergency.

With a lot of fear and uncertainty right now, consumers are looking for brands that they’re familiar with and are already a part of their normal lives. Having a virtual shopping experience be anchored by a relationship to a physical store provides familiarity and comfort during these uncertain times.

Companies need to be certain they’re maintaining this trust with customers by making sure that any communication they’re sending out is empathetic and personalized.

By staying positive and showing that you have the customers’ best interest in mind, you’ll keep their trust and their business.

How does COVID-19 affect other businesses?

The increase in app downloads suggests that Americans are taking proper precautions to keep the spread of the virus low. Perhaps this crisis will shift shoppers’ habits so much that its effect will be felt long after normalcy returns.

For all businesses who are concerned about the effect COVID-19 will have on their day-to-day operations, we can glean important insights from the statistics above.

No matter what industry you’re in, there are likely ways to take your business digital or touch-less.

• You can host digital events rather than in-person events to keep your audience connected with your company and others in your industry.
• Use this time to create content that educates your prospects and helps them be better prepared to purchase from you once they’re able to.
• Rather than cutting your budget for marketing, move away from traditional marketing and start putting the budget towards cheaper, measuable digital marketing strategies.

As shown in the Target messaging, companies also need to be addressing what they’re doing to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

It’s important to keep your customers informed, help them feel secure about continuing to use your company, and be sure to answer any questions they have.

The key to success with any messaging you send out will be to remain human, understand the fears your customers are facing, and continue to build trust.