Shopify store Gong’s Market has received authorization by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to accept SNAP EBT payments online. It is the first store with such authority in the US state of California. The credit for this success goes to Grocerist, which offers sales solution fully customized for grocers on Shopify.
“Grocerist made it possible for us to reach more customers and grow our business,” Michael Ohashi of Gong’s Market said as quoted by supermarketnews.com.
“Grocerist helps run our e-ecommerce technology, marketing, and analytics so we can focus on best serving our customers,” Ohashi added.
About Gong’s Market
Gong’s Market is a store grocer registered under the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA). Established in 1926, the ICA is committed to support local and family-owned businesses.
About Grocerist
Grocerist is the only solution available on Shopify for online grocers to meet the USDA standards and achieve SNAP payments authorisation. According to supermarketnews.com, over 42 million people benefit from the SNAP program in the US. In the fiscal year 2021, the government spent $105 billion under this initiative.
Grocerist aims to upgrade the independent grocery industry with Shopify’s e-commerce platform. The solution allows local grocers set up Shopify stores with high quality product imagery, weight-based selling options, packing facility, delivery, substitutions and alcohol selling. Add to this, Grocerist assists grocers in digital marketing practices and social media sharing.
“Grocerist makes it affordable and manageable for the independent grocer to successfully compete with the industry giants online,” Grocerist co-founder and COO Matt Smith said.
“We launch new grocers in weeks, help design and execute their marketing, and enable them to harness the power of digital in order to grow and profit,” he added.
Approach
Grocerist works with each of its clients as a part of their workforce. Apart from marketing support, the solution also provide grocers with the right training to sell online. By taking care of the technological requirements, Grocerist allows grocers to focus on maintaining the quality of goods.
Grocerist co-founder and CEO Jeff Anders spoke of his Software as a Service (SaaS): “As a result of this approach, Grocerist can make an otherwise inaccessible enterprise-grade solution accessible to independent grocers”.
Grocery on Shopify
The solution is the best for grocers to customize store on Shopify, which promotes selling groceries online. “Shopify makes it easy to get your grocery business online so you can serve your customers however they choose,” the e-commerce platform says on its website.
Grocerist helps grocers integrate best-in-class technology with Shopify tools to cater to the unique needs of individual shoppers. To process SNAP EBT payments online, Grocerist has partnered with USDA approved Third-Party Payments (TPP) service, Forage.
About Forage
Forage EBT Gateway app is available for free on the Shopify App Store. It is the first payment gateway that allows Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on the multinational e-commerce platform.
“At the core of Shopify’s Ecosystem is our community of developers who give merchants access to critical commerce technology. We’re happy to welcome Forage to the Shopify App Store, bringing its insight and experience in SNAP EBT acceptance to Shopify’s merchants,” Sid Murlidhar, Shopify Director of Partnerships, said at the time of partnering with Forage.
Forage CEO Ofek Lavian had explained: “Forage is all about increasing food access in underserved markets. Our new Shopify app not only helps more merchants accept SNAP online, it also improves access to food for the millions of people receiving food assistance. We are at the very beginning of this journey, and excited for the potential in this market”.
