RetailTech UK Grocery eCommerce Platform — Regional Supermarket Chain

Grocery eCommerce has unique requirements not present in general retail

• 1substitution logic (item out of stock → automatic substitution suggestion, customer accepts or declines — never silent substitution),
• 2weight-priced items (loose produce, meat — price not fixed at order time, final price based on actual weight at pick),
• 3slot booking (delivery or Click and Collect — 1-hour delivery slots, capacity managed per postcode),
• 4freshness guarantee (best before date at delivery — algorithm rejects items expiring < 2 days post-delivery slot),
• 5allergen management (FSA 14 major allergens — customer allergen profile filters search results). Order cut-off: last order accepted 2 hours before delivery slot for route planning.

Temperature chain

frozen/chilled/ambient items picked separately, merged at dispatch.

Allergen and Food Safety Compliance

Food Safety Act 1990 and EU FIC (Food Information to Consumers Regulation 1169/2011 — retained in UK): online food retailers must display allergen information for all pre-packed products.

Allergen architecture

• 1product information from GS1 UK product database (EAN barcode → product data including 14 FSA major allergens),
• 2allergen filter (customer sets allergen profile — gluten, nuts, dairy, etc. — search and browse hides products containing those allergens),
• 3allergen warning at checkout (any item in basket containing customer's allergen → warning before payment),
• 4substitution allergen check (proposed substitution must not introduce allergen not present in original item).

FSA 14 allergens

• celery, cereals with gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, sulphur dioxide.
• Same-

Day Delivery Route Optimisation

Grocery same-day delivery: 2-hour delivery window, route optimised at van load time.

Route optimisation

• 1HERE Maps Routes API (multi-stop route planning — optimise sequence for 12 deliveries per van per slot),
• 2real-time traffic (HERE Traffic API — reroute if significant delay),
• 3driver app (React Native Expo — order sequence, navigation, customer confirmation, temperature chain logging),
• 4customer ETA (30-minute ahead notification via GOV.UK Notify SMS — "Your order is 2 stops away"),
• 5delivery confirmation (driver takes photo at doorstep — evidence for contactless delivery disputes).

Route capacity

12 deliveries per 1-hour slot × 8 vans = 96 deliveries/hour.

Peak capacity

additional van deployment triggered when slot booking exceeds 80 remaining capacity.

Grocery loyalty

more complex than general retail — weekly shop, basket sizes £30–£200, high visit frequency (2.1 visits/week average).

Loyalty architecture

• 1Nectar-style points (1 point per £1 spent — 100 points = £1 off),
• 2personalised offers (customer's frequent items → personalised price reduction —

PECR

marketing consent required for behavioural personalisation), (3) loyalty card app (React Native — scan in-store or app to earn points), (4) gamification (streak rewards — 4 consecutive weeks shopping → bonus points, PECR consent required), (5) meal planning integration (loyalty app shows favourite items → meal plan suggestion → add to basket).

AADC

loyalty app accessible by family members including under-18s — AADC controls applied if family mode enabled.