We've entered an era where "even a single green onion is purchased with a click." The unwritten rule of fresh food shopping that "you must touch and select items in person" – a principle that held strong just a few years ago – is rapidly crumbling. Even fresh food, which remained the last bastion of offline retail in e-commerce, can no longer escape the digital transformation.
People who once shopped daily at physical stores are gradually transitioning to filling their shopping carts from their smartphones.
Fresh food was like the final fortress of offline shopping. Consumer perception was strong that "fresh vegetables must be visually inspected in person" and "fruits must be touched to determine ripeness." However, even this is rapidly changing. New trust mechanisms are emerging that can replace the "direct visual selection experience" once thought possible only offline.
In an era of high inflation, consumer price sensitivity has intensified. Price-conscious consumers now compare various retailers online and actively utilize discount coupons and promotions like "50% off first purchase" or "$1 first-time buyer deals" to make rational choices.
Moreover, the emergence of rapid delivery services such as early morning and same-day delivery has secured the immediacy of "order and receive immediately." Consumers can now order ingredients needed for "tonight's dinner" online.
E-commerce companies are also driving this change. Bold policies like "100% refund guarantee" or "compensation for subpar freshness" lower psychological barriers to purchase. A system where quality issues can be resolved with just a photo for refunds easily creates the thought, "Why not give it a try?"
Consumer standards regarding quality, trust, and convenience are fundamentally changing. While "seeing and touching in person" was once the ultimate trust criterion, a new standard has emerged: "Can quality be guaranteed even where we can't see?" Companies are advancing their quality management systems to meet this standard, continuing efforts behind the scenes.
The moment customers order fresh food online, a subtle anxiety settles in their minds: "Will truly fresh vegetables arrive?" This anxiety lingers right at the order screen. This unease, inherent in non-face-to-face transactions, represents the greatest barrier for fresh food e-commerce.
Consumers now demand higher levels of trust "instead of seeing and selecting directly." While visual confirmation alone sufficed offline, online requires greater assurance. Consumers now delegate selection authority to brands while demanding "evidence" of how these brands will meet their expectations.
The real challenge is "how to show and prove that quality." No matter how sophisticated a quality management system may be, it's meaningless if it can't be effectively communicated to customers.
What changes are occurring in actual practice? One premium home meal kit brand primarily handles high-quality ingredients where freshness is paramount. To address uncertainties in the delivery process, they began recording short videos of the shipping process using their Advanced Video Documentation System and sharing them with customers.
Interestingly, these videos serve beyond simple customer reassurance content – they also function as internal quality management tools. For instance, if products melt during summer delivery, they communicate with customers by sharing the condition at shipping and checking coolant quantities. This helps resolve customer inquiries based on accurate Advanced Video Documentation System records and maintains consistency in quality management.
Customer reactions were remarkable. Positive feedback poured in with comments like "This is much more reassuring than delivery photos" and "I can feel the care put into it." Particularly noteworthy was the fact that customer inquiries decreased by 80% compared to previous levels. When customers could see how their products were actually shipped, unnecessary concerns and inquiries diminished.
Furthermore, this Advanced Video Documentation System became an important connection point that supplements online sales' biggest weakness: "limited customer touchpoints." While offline stores provide brand experiences through staff interactions and store atmosphere, online environments offer limited such touchpoints. The shipping video system supplements online customer touchpoints while simultaneously changing brand perception.
As e-commerce becomes central to daily life, the "invisible domain" we cannot directly experience continues to expand. Consumers now harbor both greater skepticism and higher expectations regarding all unseen processes.
In this environment, corporate competitiveness can no longer be achieved solely through "making good products." "Building operational-based trust with customers" has become the core competitive advantage for brands. Rather than simply "claiming" quality through marketing messages, "proving" that quality through actual operational processes has become crucial.
To be chosen by consumers in the e-commerce era, companies must ultimately be able to transform invisible quality into visible trust. Such trust is created not just through products, but through "how processes are demonstrated."
