Cornershop, a Chilean startup founded in 2015, revolutionized grocery shopping by offering a convenient, time-saving alternative to traditional supermarket visits. For many city dwellers, a typical weekly grocery trip can easily consume over two hours, not to mention additional costs for fuel, parking and tolls.
Cornershop’s app allowed customers to bypass these inconveniences by adding items to a virtual shopping cart. Personal shoppers handled the in-store selection and customers could interact via the app to approve replacements or add last-minute items, ensuring a personalized and efficient experience.
A unique customer journey
One of the standout features of Cornershop’s service was proactive communication before completing an order. Shoppers would check in with customers to confirm if anything was missing or if additional items were needed, often increasing order values and enhancing satisfaction. This thoughtful touchpoint, combined with shopping bags branded with funny messages, surprise gift bags and special promotions, fostered strong customer loyalty and created a delightful experience.
Expansion and differentiation
Cornershop expanded its operations to eight countries across the Americas including Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica, Canada and the United States. It constantly delivered a seamless, standardized experience, expanding from groceries to various stores. Their service was differentiated by timely deliveries – less than 90 minutes – and the feeling of “shopping exactly as if you were doing it,” setting them apart from competitors like Rappi and Instacart.
Growth during the pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of such a service became even more pronounced. With curfews and mobility restrictions in place, many turned to delivery services to meet their daily needs. Cornershop’s user-friendly interface and reliable service made it a preferred choice, contributing to substantial growth. While specific figures for Cornershop are unavailable, the online grocery sector experienced significant growth, with online and delivery orders increasing by about 50 percent during the pandemic.
In 2019, Uber acquired a majority stake in Cornershop, aiming to integrate its grocery delivery capabilities into the Uber Eats platform. Initially, Cornershop operated as a standalone service, retaining the unique features that endeared it to users. However, by the end of 2023, Cornershop was phased out in favor of a standardized experience within the UberEats app.
Customer satisfaction and adaptation
This transition led to notable dissatisfaction among long-time users. The loss of personalized interactions and special touches resulted in a service that felt less tailored, generic and not as effective. Personally, I tried to adapt, thinking it was just resistance to change. However, the experience lacked the special “Cornershop” touch, and after a bad experiences with the service, I switched to using a supermarket app (Jumbo) like most of my friends and family did. While not as seamless as the original Cornershop, it was more functional than the UberEats version. Interestingly, Jumbo later adopted some of Cornershop’s key processes to enhance its customer experience.
Balancing efficiency and experience
The Cornershop journey highlights the delicate balance between operational efficiency and customer experience. While standardization can streamline processes and reduce costs, it may erode the unique aspects of a service that drive loyalty and satisfaction. I often wonder if the extra steps in Cornershop’s process monetized effectively. Perhaps they didn’t, which might explain their removal in the UberEats model. As businesses scale and integrate, it’s crucial to evaluate how these changes impact the customer journey, capture value and maintain a balance between a cherished experience and operational efficiency.
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