Shopping has become significantly more stressful. Hindered by masks and long queues, having temperatures taken, sanitiser sprayed, and all the while trying to remain socially distanced, we’re instructed to get in and out of stores quickly. But buying food shouldn’t be rushed. Hurriedly getting groceries leads to snap decisions not conducive to your dietary goals. It also almost always results in disappointment.
You get home to realise you completely forgot the walnuts for the salad you had in mind for dinner. And to add to that, olive oil! You knew you should’ve taken your list… looks like you’ll be ordering in instead. Which leads us to our reasons e-commerce can be conducive to your diet:
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Fewer missing ingredients that throw us off course.
Often we resort to ordering meals that aren’t as clean as those made at home because we don’t have the exact ingredients at hand to put together what we feel like. Online, the moment you realise you need a certain item, you add it to your list and can order it conveniently. Your shop can be assisted by AI recommenders – like we’re building at Knowitworld – that’ll suggest products you need . The result is a more organised pantry and fridge, with comprehensive ingredients catered to your diet and personal preferences.
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Avoiding the maze of marketing ploys in supermarkets can take away temptation.
Groceries constitute a business, and that means they’re marketed to generate as much income as possible for brands and retailers. From the moment you step into a grocery store, each element of the layout has been intentionally designed to make you spend more. As you navigate yourself around the store to find the items you need, you’re confronted with nonessential items – usually tempting treats you’re trying to avoid – at every turn. Even when you think you’re done, the till queue is lined with snacks likely to lead your calorie count into excess. With online platforms, such as Knowit’s upcoming one, you can filter your product search to refrain from seeing the foods you battle to resist.
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The cardinal law of never shopping with an empty stomach.
We all know it’s dangerous to go to the shops hungry. Everything looks good, and our eyes are often bigger than our stomachs – or as least bigger than we’d like them to be. But it isn’t always convenient or possible to do our grocery shop when we’re feeling satisfied. Often we dash to the shops just before they close, our bodies eagerly anticipating dinner. E-commerce is always open. You can do your shop at a time you’re not vulnerable to breaking your diet.
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Fatigue leads to unfit dietary decisions.
Flustered already from a long day of decision-making, when it comes time to choose between products our mind doesn’t quite have the capacity to enforce willpower. It’s a real phenomenon called Decision Fatigue. With e-commerce, you can make decisions at your own pace and in your own time. Fit shopping around your schedule, instead of the other way around.
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Information in an instant.
Pushing a trolley, vision obscured by your mask, is an inopportune moment to pick up products and compare nutritional information, possibly juggling your phone too as you google whether the ingredients suit your new diet. Shopping online removes this chaos and allows you to easily engage with the contents of each product, ensuring they’re conducive to your eating goals.
At a time when being healthy is especially essential, shopping within the pandemic protocols have us frustrated, overburdened and ready to go home by the time we set foot in the store. Purchasing food should be done thoughtfully, at the right time and with the necessary focus.
In the comfort of our home or office, we’re more in control with a calmer mindset. We’re less likely to forget important items and able to understand the contents of what we’re purchasing with convenient ease. Grocery e-commerce provides just this, and is constantly developing to meet our nuanced and on-demand requirements.