With the imminent arrival of Amazon's online retail store in Australia, one of the country's top supermarkets has made a big move into "ultra-convenience and personalization". 

Yesterday the Woolworths Group announced it would roll out its platform "Click & Collect" nationwide, providing a convenient collection service that will be free for orders over AUD$30.

The retailer highlighted the service would be available from 970 different locations, and customers could also keep track of orders with the Woolworths app and select times for pick up.

Woolworths head of online operations Lisia Roth said there had been more than 670 stores added as online shopping collection points in just one month alone.

"We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to make shopping easier for our customers," Roth said in a release.

"From remote regional towns with only one Woolworths supermarket to major metro areas where customers have multiple Pick Up location choices, customers will be able to get more time back in their day as we do their shopping for them," she said. 

The company said dedicated teams of personal shoppers will be in stores to hand-pick and pack each online order according to customer preferences.

And for those with the app, the service will notify store teams as customers approach, thus reducing the time needed to pick up the order. 

"Not only do customers want ultra-convenience and personalisation, they also want the experience to be painless and seamless. The Woolworths app will send you a notification when your order is ready, and you can alert us when you're close by, so that we can have everything ready for your arrival," Roth added. 

“What this means is that customers, for example, can do their grocery shopping online on their way to work and it will be ready to be picked up by the time they are on their way home.

“Similarly, a busy parent doing the after-school grocery run can instead order their favourite items online - quickly and easily - and pick them up whenever they want. This can help save close to 20 mins to half an hour off your day, giving you more time with friends and family."

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