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Farmstead deploys predictive machine learning tech to bolster customer service

June 6, 2019

Online grocer Farmstead is leveraging predictive machine-learning models in a quest to help shoppers find new and old favorites and for faster grocery list creation.

Its Smart Shopping List feature goes beyond offering just recommendations and predicts what customers need based on weekly shopping history and what's already in the online cart, according to a press release.

"One of the biggest challenges to buying groceries online is to build your shopping cart rapidly," said Farmstead co-founder and CEO Pradeep Elankumaran, in the release.

"Since there are no physical aisles to walk through like a traditional supermarket, and only so much scrolling one can take, it's a true challenge to help customers find the right products at the right time while also suggesting new ones they'll love in the few minutes they spend each week tapping buttons online."

The Smart Shopping List gives customers a better option compared to aisle-by-aisle shopping, and dynamically generates an endless list of heavily personalized products for perusal. Items are ranked by machine learning algorithms based on shopping behavior and wellness preferences, according to the release.

The "list" gets smarter and more personalized every time a customer uses it, and in early results Farmstead found that more than 40% of customers choose to shop via Smart Shopping List when presented with the option.