Sainsbury’s was unable to fulfil the “vast majority” of its online deliveries and experienced contactless payment problems in stores due to a “technical issue”, the retailer advised on its social channels on Saturday morning.
In a series of posts, Sainsbury’s warned customers: “We are experiencing technical issues affecting some stores, our Groceries Online service and our ability to contact customers. Unfortunately, we will not be able to fulfil the vast majority of today’s Groceries Online deliveries.”
The tweet quickly gained traction, garnering tens of thousands of views as well as a growing number of comments, likes and retweets.
Sainsbury’s to rebook online orders
In a second tweet, Sainsbury’s confirmed it was working to fix the issue and apologised to customers for “the inconvenience”. Customers would be contacted “proactively” to rebook orders, it added.
We're experiencing technical issues affecting some stores, our Groceries Online service and our ability to contact customers. Unfortunately, we will not be able to fulfil the vast majority of today's Groceries Online deliveries. (cont...)
— Sainsbury's (@sainsburys) March 16, 2024
An error with an overnight software update had caused the problem, as well as issues with contactless payments in stores, a spokesperson told The Grocer.
”All of our stores are open as usual today, accepting chip and pin and cash payments,” they said.
“Unfortunately, this also means we will not be able to deliver the vast majority of today’s Groceries Online orders and we are currently unable to contact customers directly.”
Contactless payments affected at Sainsbury’s
It was late on Saturday afternoon when Sainsbury’s confirmed the issue’s resolution, with both contactless payments and online ordering operating as normal.
“We can confirm contactless payments are now back up and running in all our stores, alongside all other formats of payment,” a spokesperson said.
“Our Groceries Online ordering system is working as normal and customers can place an order for delivery anytime from tomorrow.”
The malfunction occurred a month after the retailer revealed its three-year Next Level strategy to enhance its Nectar loyalty scheme personalisation, double down on its food and stores offer, and save £1bn in costs.
Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts said the strategy would make the retailer a stronger business that would evolve around “giving customers more of what they come to Sainsbury’s for – outstanding value, unbeatable quality food and great service”.
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