A report from meta-search website iPrice found that more Filipinos are doing their groceries via the internet as visits to online groceries this August surged by 89% compared to February.
The increase in e-commerce corresponds to the tightening of restrictions and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. (In August, new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19] hit more than 20,000 per day compared to barely 2,000 per day in February.)
According to iPrice, web traffic for online groceries hit a record high at 1.4 million visits this August, marking a 21% increase from the month before.Online grocery web traffic remained above a million since April, the same month the Philippines breached the one-million mark for cumulative coronavirus cases.
iPrice also found that grocery items in the Philippines, including dairy, fruits, and vegetables, are the cheapest in Southeast Asia, based on data from cost-of-living database Numbeo. The average grocery total in the Philippines was estimated at P2,437, well below the P5,561 grocery bill in Singapore, the region’s most expensive city.
The e-commerce aggregator also gathered data from 11 online grocery stores in Metro Manila, comparing delivery fees and minimum prices.
S&R, Robinsons Supermarket, The Marketplace, Shopwise, PureGold, and AllDay Supermarket have a minimum order of P1,000. Shopwise has the most expensive delivery fee at P200 and MetroMart has the cheapest at just P80.
SM Markets offers a no minimum order fee and a delivery fee of P150, convenient for shoppers who want to buy only one or two items. Meanwhile, those looking to buy in bulk could get the best deal from WalterMart, which has a minimum order of Php 2,000 and a P99 delivery fee. — B. H. Lacsamana