55% of Ocado’s orders happened via mobile

Online supermarket Ocado has revealed more than half of its orders, 55 percent to be precise, were checked out on a mobile device. The online grocer also saw it profit rise and is currently talking with potential international retailers to secure a long awaited overseas deal.

In the half year before 15 May, Ocado’s range increased from 45,000 to 48,000 SKUs and the number of active customers went up from 471,000 to 541,000, which is an increase of almost 15 percent. Ocada Group revealed the results of the 24 weeks prior to 24 May. “I am encouraged by the steady progress in our business, with volumes growing by 30%”, CEO Tim Steiner said.

“We have been gaining share in the online grocery market and expect this to continue. The last few years have shown beyond doubt that British shoppers are choosing the benefits of grocery shopping online and we believe that the momentum of channel shift away from bricks and mortar stores will continue”, he noted.

Signing up foreign retailers to Ocado Smart Platform

Ocada is now testing its new proprietary fulfilment and software solutions in its third facility in Andover, expecting to move out of the test phase in the autumn. “This and other innovations also make the Ocado Smart Platform an even more attractive solution for retailers outside the UK looking to build their own online grocery offer”, he explained. “I remain confident about signing up partners to this platform.”

The platform Steiner is talking about is a technology that Ocado uses to run its customer fulfilment centers and to schedule its deliveries. The company packaged and commercialized this software, primarily for overseas markets. It’s now in talks with potential international retailers.