As the holiday season rapidly approaches, pantries fill as fast as schedules. Nemlig.com, an online grocer that delivers goods to customers, sells convenience along with food.
“The biggest advantage with Nemlig.com is that you can order your groceries at home from your couch and get the goods delivered either on the same day or the next,’’ explained Nemlig.com chief executive Stefan Plenge
“Plus, we have more than 7,300 items to choose from.’’
Embracing different cultures
Nemlig.com offers a wide variety of food selection – a benefit that the company believes differentiates it from most physical grocers.
“To embrace the expat community in Denmark, we think about which traditions and holidays they are celebrating," said Plenge.
"For example, many are celebrating the upcoming American Thanksgiving. Therefore we make sure that customers can buy their turkey, sweet potatoes and other traditional food items at Nemlig.com.”
Specialty diets are also taken into consideration with the inclusion of vegan, gluten-free, organic and locally-produced products.
“We have a broad customer base ranging from families with children and the elderly to disabled people and busy businesspeople – therefore we try and cater to both the budget-conscious and ecologically-conscious consumers,’’ continued Plenge.
Rising to challenges
While many similar companies in other countries, such as Amazon Fresh in the United States, have found success, Nemlig.com initially faced a wave of scepticism.
“The initial doubt may have been related to the fact that previous attempts in Denmark with online grocery companies have been unsuccessful. However, the market has changed,’’ asserted Plenge.
“People now lead busier lives and need the convenience Nemlig offers. As a result we have had tremendous growth – especially within the last year.’’
According to a survey by SyndicatePlus, 12 percent of the Danish population buys groceries online, putting Denmark‘s online shopping market in second place in the European Union.
One of the key findings of this study was that the majority of online shoppers are urbanites born between 1965 and 1994. Interestingly enough, 61 percent of the participants who shopped online lived less than 10 minutes away from a physical grocery store.
Additionally, Eurostat revealed that in 2012, 79 percent of Danes participated in some form of online shopping. Plenge expects these percentages to grow in the coming years as more and more people find themselves with fuller schedules.
Success with specialty shops
“Another element where Nemlig.com differentiates from other online grocers are the many collaborations we have with the best specialty shops in Denmark – including Meyers, Cofoco, Palæo, Butcher Lund, Lagkagehuset, Morten Heiberg, AC Perch’s Thehandel, Sødam chicken and Jacob Kongsbak Lassen,’’ said Plenge.
Plenge explained that the biggest challenge Nemlig.com faces is changing the consumers’ ingrained habit of buying groceries in physical stores.
Providing customers with online access to specialty food products is a promising way to change the norm.
“I love the fact that I can order ice cream from Svaneke Is or caramels from Karamel Kompagniet, both from the Danish island of Bornholm, without having to make the trip myself,’’ Plenge enthused.
“The customers are the heart of our business, so everything we do, we do with our customers in mind."
