As Aldi announces the return of its Bottomless Pigs in Blankets Restaurant, the newly published RetailDNA Customer Value Chain 2024 report looks at how the discount supermarket offers a practical customer experience.
Aldi has an effective navigation system that helps to keep visitors moving through the site and that’s reflected in the margin KPI of the Customer Value Chain. It also uses tools such as wish lists to maximise each opportunity, conforming to the conserve KPI.
The roots of the Aldi business go back to 1913, when Karl Albrecht opened a bakery in Essen, Germany. The following year, his wife Anna opened the family business’ first grocery store. The business expanded and developed into Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd in 1961, serving the north and south of Germany respectively, under the leadership of their sons, Karl and Theo Albrecht. The first branch of Aldi (Albrecht Discount) opened in 1962.
Today, Aldi Süd, a discount supermarket chain based in Mülheim an der Ruhr, sells through about 2,000 shops in southern and western Germany as well as online. It employs around 50,000 staff[1]. The combined Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord business reported turnover of €112bn in 2023 (+8.7%).
The Aldi website helps visitors in its domestic market of Germany to find the item they are looking for by offering popular search suggestions. It offers a hamburger button to help shoppers navigate its website, helping them move to categories including gardening, hardware, electronics and computers, and wine. Navigational filters include price, brand and availability. These features reflect the volume KPI, which explores the way that retailers win more visits from more visitors. Popular products are flagged as bestsellers, a feature that’s also used by 18% of the Europe Top1000.
The conserve KPI assesses how retailers reduce both waste and missed opportunities. It applies, for example, when visitors to the Aldi website see an item they like and can add it to their wishlist so that it is saved for a future purchase.
Margin is about making the most from every activity in a way that ultimately boosts order values. This is reflected in the way that the Aldi website keeps shoppers informed throughout their shopping journey, from the landing page to the product page and beyond.
On its landing page, Aldi gives shoppers early notice of payment options, which includes PayPal and Klarna as well as by bank card. Shoppers can also sign up for its newsletter. On both its product page and at checkout, Aldi again flags up payment options, while illustrating products through a wide choice of images and letting shoppers know how soon they could get delivery of each item to a German postal address.
This profile appears in the newly published RetailDNA Customer Value Chain 2024 report.
Footasylum, Hema, Screwfix, La Feltrinelli, Stradivarius, Samsung and The North Face are all profiled in the report, which considers how retail businesses add value by investing in the customer experience.
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