A StarInsights Review of Online Fruit & Vegetable Stores in Cape Town, South Africa
“We should all be eating fruits and vegetables as if our lives depend on it – because they do.” — Michael Greger
Fresh produce delivery services are a real game-changer for people who detest grocery shopping. You can use these services to have a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables delivered right to your door. This StarInsights report focuses mainly on Cape Town’s fresh produce market and presents the list of the most reviewed and best-rated online fruit and vegetable stores. The study has used publicly released results of Google Seller Ratings and its aggregated system of ratings and reviews.
An Industry Overview
The COVID-19 pandemic is by far the most revolutionary thing that changed the nature of the fresh produce business. According to the Sector Monitor Report, the fruits and vegetable market in SA is projected to register a CAGR of 6.9% during the forecast period (2022-2027).
Consumers’ preference for eating nutritious, immunity-boosting foods has led to an increase in demand for fruits and vegetables. On both offline and online platforms, the retail market has witnessed an increase in growth and sales. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many people had no choice but to order food online when the nation was put on lockdown.
Consequently, the demand for healthy, fresh products sprung and supermarkets’ online deliveries went into overdrive. Many fresh produce businesses that typically deliver to the restaurant or food industry were forced to shift their business to homes as a result of their customer base abruptly disappearing. Online shopping has made the process faster, simpler, and less painful for everyone involved.
Impact of Customer Reviews on Fresh Produce Online Stores
With a multitude of stores flourishing in the fresh produce market, developing online trust and giving customers a sense of security is without a doubt key to online success. This both attracts new customers and strengthens the loyalty of current ones.
Customer feedback and reviews are now widely acknowledged as being crucial for success in the online market. A thorough, user-friendly website is obviously essential, but before users even click the site’s link, public reviews help to establish trust, greatly increasing the likelihood that they will visit the site.
As a result, Customer reviews determine who gets a bigger chunk of the market share, and using Google Maps we have analysed numerous fruit and vegetable online stores and listed the top ten leading companies with a good volume of positive user ratings and reviews.
Top-rated online fruit & vegetable stores
| Online Store | Website | Rating | Reviews |
| Country Pantry SA | https://www.countrypantry.co.za/ | 5.0 | 3 |
| Raw Nutrition | https://www.rawnutrition.co.za/ | 4.8 | 30 |
| Wild Organic Foods | https://www.wildorganics.co.za/ | 4.8 | 28 |
| NUDE FOODS | https://nudefoods.co/ | 4.7 | 268 |
| Just Fruit & Veg | https://justfruitandveg.co.za/ | 4.7 | 17 |
| Freshly Delivered | https://freshlydelivered.co.za/ | 4.7 | 35 |
| Cool Bananas, CB | https://cool-bananas.co.za/ | 4.5 | 211 |
| Freshgold SA Exports | https://freshgoldsa.co.za/ | 4.5 | 22 |
| Balmoral Supermarket | https://www.balmoral.online/ | 4.4 | 1137 |
| Organic Zone | https://organiczone.co.za/ | 4.4 | 59 |
Most reviewed online fruit & vegetable stores
| Online Store | Website | Reviews | Rating |
| Bellville Market | https://bellvillemarket.co.za/ | 1387 | 4.0 |
| Balmoral Supermarket | https://www.balmoral.online/ | 1137 | 4.4 |
| NUDE FOODS | https://nudefoods.co/ | 268 | 4.7 |
| Cool Bananas, CB | https://cool-bananas.co.za/ | 211 | 4.5 |
| Think Organic Online Grocer | https://thinkorganic.co.za/ | 83 | 4.1 |
| Organic Zone | https://organiczone.co.za/ | 59 | 4.4 |
| Freshly Delivered | https://freshlydelivered.co.za/ | 35 | 4.7 |
| Raw Nutrition | https://www.rawnutrition.co.za/ | 30 | 4.8 |
| Wild Organic Foods | https://www.wildorganics.co.za/ | 28 | 4.8 |
| Freshgold SA Exports | https://freshgoldsa.co.za/ | 22 | 4.5 |
Country Pantry SA has received a 5 out of 5-star rating and occupies position number one in the category best-rated online fruit and Vegetable Stores. Joint second position for Raw Nutrition and Wild Organic Foods with an almost perfect 4.8 out of 5-star rating. The only difference between these two stores is in the number of reviews, and it’s important to note that a high rating needs to be complimented by a large sample of reviews, as this is a desirable feature when it comes to online reputation.
In terms of reviews, Bellville Market tops the list as the most reviewed online fruit and veg store with an astounding 1387 reviews mostly commended by customers for quality, affordable fresh products, great salesmanship, and customer care. Balmoral Supermarket follows closely in second place with 1137 reviews and their reviews mostly consist of compliments on their customer support services and prompt delivery services. NUDE FOODS sits in third place with 268 reviews, reviewed as having a wide range of fresh produce and organic products.
We salute the Owners of the listed online fruit and vegetable stores in the two classifications and commend them for reliably providing quality fresh produce and services that result in positive reviews. Notwithstanding, we ask all online fruit and veg stores to work with survey agencies like eKomi to enhance the number of reviews. Reviews are vital for ecommerce sites, to the extent that the vast majority of sites now display reviews and other user-generated content on their sites.
Be sure to check out eKomi’s blog in three months to read our follow-up assessment on which online fruit and vegetable store will be the best and most rated in Cape Town.