Walmart Now Piloting On-Demand Drone Delivery

Walmart's latest initiative has the company exploring how drones can deliver items in a way that is convenient, safe, and fast. Walmart is taking the next step in the exploration of on-demand delivery by announcing a new pilot with Flytrex, an end-to-end drone delivery company.

The pilot is launching in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and focuses on delivering select grocery and household essential items from Walmart stores using Flytrex's automated drones. The drones, which are controlled over the cloud using a smart and easy control dashboard, will help...

Retailer Introduces ‘Dark Store’ Focusing Solely on Online Grocery Shopping

Whole Foods is launching its first ‘dark store’ a facility that will solely operate to fulfill the Amazon-owned grocer’s online orders.

The store will not be open to the public, so customers cannot stroll in like a traditional grocery store. This new experiment follows the COVID-19 pandemic where online grocery ordering witnessed a significant uptick as customers were unwilling to risk a trip to pick up food.

According to USA TODAY, the new concept was in the works pre-COVID...

Kroger Ship to Integrate a Marketplace this Fall

The Kroger Co. announced Kroger Ship will expand to offer an extended ship-to-home assortment through a marketplace offering of third-party sellers powered by Mirakl, the leading software platform enabling B2C and B2B digital marketplaces.

"Our customers are increasingly turning to our e-commerce solutions provided at Kroger.com for their grocery and household essential needs. To better serve our customers, we're continuing to invest in technology that enables us to expand our digital services to deliver anything, anytime, anywhere," said Jody Kalmbach, Kroger's group vice president of product experience. "Leveraging Mirakl's best-in-class marketplace solution, we are...

Target Enhances Online Grocery Pickup Service

Target’s making it easier than ever for consumers to get what they need to enjoy the season. Starting this week, consumers can shop fresh and frozen grocery items via Target's Order Pickup and Drive Up services at more than 400 stores.

“When it comes to safe, fast and easy shopping, Target leads the way,” says Dawn Block, senior vice president, digital, Target. “By expanding our Order Pickup and Drive Up assortment to include fresh and frozen grocery items, we’re making the Target Run even easier—ensuring that guests can get everything they need, using the fast, convenient services they already love.”

Select stores in Illinois, Ohio, Colorado, Utah, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky and Kansas now offer the enhanced service, where guests can shop 750 items across...

Uber Unveils Grocery Delivery

Uber Technologies, Inc. announced that users in select Latin American and Canadian cities can now order groceries through the Uber and Uber Eats apps, in partnership with Cornershop, the popular grocery delivery startup based in Santiago, Chile. This follows the companies’ 2019 agreement for Uber to acquire a majority stake in Cornershop, which is expected to close in the coming days. Today’s news marks Uber and Cornershop’s first integrated grocery delivery experience.

Uber connects people and communities with the tap of a button, including rides, prepared food, retail goods—and now groceries. Starting today, shoppers in select cities in Latin America, Canada and coming later this month, the United States, can find grocery delivery opportunities through both Uber and Uber Eats apps, furthering Uber’s vision of bringing people closer to...

Has the Coronavirus Caused Consumers to Adopt New Eating Behaviors? 

Although social distancing measures have forced many people to stay indoors and start experimenting in the kitchen, the verdict is mixed on home cooking. According to Datassential, two in five consumers did not actually start cooking more often. However, about 35% found joy and excitement in discovering new dishes, yet more than a third of Gen X and households with children are sick of having to cook more often for their families.

For the most part, the pandemic has encouraged very few consumers to adopt new shopping and dining strategies, the rest are maintaining their prior routines. Online grocery shopping and grocery delivery have benefited the most from these new trials, with 21% trying grocery pickup for the first time, and...

Walmart Introduces Express Delivery

Walmart is announcing Express Delivery, a new service that delivers more items from the store than ever before to customers’ doors in less than two hours.

Walmart has accelerated the development of the service in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, piloting Express Delivery in 100 stores since mid-April. The service will expand to nearly 1,000 stores in early May and will be available in nearly 2,000 total stores in the following weeks. Express Delivery allows customers to order across more than 160,000 items from Walmart’s food, consumables and general merchandise assortment such as... 

Mintel: UK Online Grocery will Grow by Around 33% in 2020

The latest research from Mintel reveals the online grocery market is forecast to grow by 33% in 2020 to reach an estimated value of £16.8 billion, up from £12.7 billion in 2019. This phenomenal rise follows four consecutive years of slowing growth: in 2019 growth fell to a historic low of just 2.9%. The market is set to be worth £17.9 billion by 2024, growing by 41% over the five year period.

Online shopping behaviour as a whole

This comes as Mintel reveals a dramatic change in online shopping habits over the COVID-19 lockdown period, habits that Mintel believes could prove lasting. In the very early days of the spread of the coronavirus in the UK, before social distancing measures were announced, 7% of Brits...

Instacart Launches New Customer Product Features as Demand for Online Grocery Surges

Instacart announced the launch of two new product features designed to speed up service and unlock more delivery windows as demand for grocery delivery continues to surge in North America. The new features - "Fast & Flexible" and "Order Ahead" - which the company has been testing over the last few weeks, increase delivery availability for customers across North America and provide more choice and convenience for customers who are moving their weekly grocery shop online.

Instacart has become an essential service for millions of people in the U.S. and Canada who are depending on the platform to safely, reliably and affordably get the groceries and household goods they need. Last week, the company saw overall customer order volume up by more than...

Survey: Coronavirus Transforms Americans' Grocery & Cooking Habits

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a profound impact on Americans' grocery shopping and cooking habits, according to a March 23 survey of more than 3,000 consumers by meal planning service eMeals. Shoppers were unable to find 40% of the grocery items on their shopping list as the gravity of the COVID-19 outbreak sent them flocking to grocery stores to stock up on food from March 18-23. Respondents also reported a 55% increase in weekly shopping spend, cooking dinner at home six nights a week, and surging online grocery use that has caused fulfillment delays because of the high demand.

"Shopping and cooking habits have clearly been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. Short supplies at grocery stores, restaurant closings, and the need to...

Coronavirus Cases Continue to Impact Foodservice and Retail 

Cases of COVID-19 are continuing to surface as the virus spreads and more tests become available. States across the country are still enforcing restrictions and guidelines, encouraging people to social distance.

Retailers have gone from limiting hours to closing completely until further notice. Grocery stores are struggling to keep shelves stocked as consumers continue to panic buy and stockpile essentials. Amid all the hysteria, restaurants are creatively finding new ways to serve guests and generate income.

As of March 18th, the National Restaurant Association predicts that the foodservice industry could lose up to $225 billion and 7 million jobs. Mandatory restaurant closures have caused...

Instacart Announces Plans to Bring on 300,000 New Personal Shoppers Over the Next 3 Months

Instacart announced plans to bring on an additional 300,000 full-service shoppers over the next 3 months to meet the growing customer demand for grocery delivery and pickup in North America. Instacart has become an essential service for millions of customers who are relying on the platform to get access to the groceries and household goods they need in a safe, reliable and affordable way.

In the last few weeks, the company has seen order volume grow by more than 150% year-over-year, with average customer basket size also increasing by 15%. By more than doubling the size of its full-service shopper community, Instacart will be better positioned to meet this increase in...

Research and Markets: Global Online Grocery Market Outlook

Despite the origins in the late 1990s by Tesco, despite Ocado, despite Peapod, despite Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods, despite Walmart's investments, despite the French drives pioneered by Chronodrive (Auchan) online grocery has still not been solved.

So where is online grocery going?

Grocery stores are more and more seeing a transformation towards becoming hybrids for pick up/delivery and shopping and often foodservice too. Especially players such as Freshippo or JD.com stores in Asia have been at the forefront of this development, but this is not really groundbreakingly new for the West either. In the US all the major grocers are rolling out... 

Walmart Adds Grocery to Flagship App

For years, Walmart has had two mobile apps: the Walmart app and the Walmart Grocery app. Customers navigate both apps, but would like an easier way to shop without having to switch between the two. 

The company is excited to announce its adding Walmart Grocery to the flagship Walmart app. Now, customers can access everything Walmart has to offer in one, definitive experience – the Walmart app.

Here’s what the updated Walmart app offers...

Walmart to Test-Drive Autonomous Grocery Deliveries with Nuro

Today, Walmart is announcing a new pilot with autonomous vehicle company, Nuro. Nuro’s vision of using robotics to improve lives runs parallel with Walmart’s mission of helping customers live better. Through the Houston-based pilot, Walmart aims to develop, refine and continue learning how to offer the best end-to-end customer experience.

Walmart is committed to delivering groceries – with a side of time-saving convenience – through an ever-expanding Grocery Pickup and Delivery service. As we near the end of 2019, Walmart has grown our online grocery footprint to nearly 3,100 pickup locations with deliveries coming from more than...

Kroger Launches Dark Kitchen Partnership with ClusterTruck

The Kroger Co., and ClusterTruck, a software platform that powers profitable, vertically integrated delivery-only kitchens, today launched a partnership that will change the way Americans access freshly prepared meals. By offering multiple menus from one central scratch kitchen, Kroger Delivery Kitchen will deliver fresh and delicious meals on-demand without service or delivery fees.

For the initial rollout, Kroger Delivery Kitchen Powered by ClusterTruck is launching in Carmel, Indiana – where Kroger and ClusterTruck are jointly opening a fourth kitchen – and Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio. Additionally, King Soopers Delivery Kitchen Powered by ClusterTruck will serve customers in Denver.

"The way our customers order and receive meals is evolving, and ClusterTruck's innovative culinary and...

What’s Next for Amazon: Expanding AmazonFresh Beyond Online Grocery and into Brick-and-Mortar Stores

Dropping monthly fees associated with AmazonFresh and instead making it a free benefit for Prime members is not just about reenergizing Amazon’s online grocery service. It suggests that Amazon intends to use the brand to grow beyond the limitations imposed by Whole Foods-Prime Now relationship.

Behind the scenes, Amazon has clearly been trying to figure out how to balance AmazonFresh and Prime Now, its 1-2 hour delivery service. Since acquiring Whole Foods in 2017, Amazon seems to have given Prime Now more attention, leveraging...

Whole Foods Market and Amazon Bring Back Popular Turkey Deals

Starting on Wednesday, Amazon and Whole Foods Market will offer special savings on organic and classic turkeys in celebration of Thanksgiving. All customers can choose from select organic ($3.49/lb) and classic turkeys ($2.49/lb), and Prime members will save even more on turkeys ($2.99/lb for organic and $1.99/lb for classic).

All turkeys sold at Whole Foods Market must meet the grocer’s strict quality standards, including no antibiotics ever, no animal by-products in their feed, and animal welfare audits by third-party certifier programs like Global Animal Partnership. The turkey offer runs from Nov. 13 through Nov. 28 while supplies last.

“We know our customers care about where their food comes from, and our turkeys meet some of the highest quality standards in the grocery industry. We are excited to...

Giant Food Announces Launch of Giant Delivers

Giant Food, the leading greater Washington D.C. regional grocery chain, announced the launch of Giant Delivers. Formerly known as Peapod by Giant, the new Giant Delivers brand refresh is part of Giant Food's "The Little Things Are Giant" platform which is all about helping customers save time so they can get back to what matters most. Whether filling their virtual cart via web or mobile app, next day home delivery from Giant Delivers is now available to over 6 million shoppers living in over 300 zip codes across the DMV area.

Giant's integrated offerings fit all the ways today's busy consumers want to shop – whether in store, via curbside pickup or home delivery. Giant Delivers has recently...

Walmart's InHome Delivery Service Officially Launches in Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Vero Beach

Early this summer, Walmart announced InHome Delivery, its latest innovation aimed toward giving time back to families by delivering fresh groceries and everyday essentials directly into their kitchen or garage fridges. Today, for the first time ever, Walmart is thrilled to launch this new service for over 1 million customers in Pittsburgh, Kansas City (Missouri and Kansas) and Vero Beach.

The company is obsessed with simplifying grocery shopping and finding ways to make customers’ lives easier. That’s why InHome goes the extra step so that customers can live their lives without worrying about making it to the store or being home to accept a delivery.

All it takes to use the service is three simple steps...

Mercato Introduces Same-Day Grocery Delivery with Mercato Green

Mercato, the online grocery eCommerce platform for independently owned grocery and specialty food stores, announced today the launch of Mercato Green. The delivery membership program allows consumers in more than 25 states across the U.S. to receive unlimited free, same-day deliveries from their favorite local grocers. Mercato will also plant a tree for every order placed by a Mercato Green member.

There are two Mercato Green membership plans - both come with a 14-day free, unlimited trial. The Neighborhood plan covers deliveries up to three miles from the store, and the City plan covers up to 10 miles. Both plans provide a deep discount for consumers who are looking for the convenience and reliability of same-day delivery from their favorite neighborhood grocers.

Online grocery sales, estimated to reach $29.7 billion by 2021, continue to climb as many people find traditional grocery shopping - parking, waiting in checkout lines, and loading groceries - a hassle. With Mercato, consumers conveniently order...