DISCUSSION
Kroger sees rivals’ one-hour delivery and raises it a half hour
Written by RetailWire Staff
There was a time not too long ago when the only thing a person could hope to get delivered in 30 minutes was a pizza — and it didn’t always arrive on time. Now Kroger is working on a pilot to get select items to the doorsteps of online customers within that time frame.
The grocer is conducting a half-hour delivery pilot called Kroger Rush in Cincinnati, according to Supermarket News. The service is available through a dedicated Kroger Rush app and costs $5.95 per delivery, with the first one free for new users. Kroger Rush is available to customers within three miles of the test stores, targeting those who might find a sudden need for such items as beer, toilet paper and dinner supplies.
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Source: Kroger/App Store[/caption]
Upping the speed on last-mile delivery has been a perennial theme as brick-and-mortar retailers try to keep up with and surpass the experience offered by Amazon.com.
In 2014, Amazon launched its Prime Now one- and two-hour delivery service for Prime members. More recently it extended the benefit to Whole Foods customers, allowing Amazon Prime members shopping at Whole Foods to receive either free two-hour delivery or one-hour delivery for $7.99 on orders exceeding $35 in select markets. Earlier this year, Amazon announced plans to make the Prime Now delivery perk available for shoppers in all 475 Whole Foods locations with plans to expand Whole Foods’ footprint in part to support grocery delivery in more markets.
In just the past few months, other retailers have also announced plans to add enhanced delivery offerings.
Target debuted a section on Target.com dedicated exclusively featuring products available via same-day delivery, according to TechCrunch. Same-day deliveries are fulfilled by the Target-owned Shipt.
Target’s pricing structure for same-day delivery has also changed. Customers are now able to choose one-hour delivery for $9.99 rather than paying a $99 yearly subscription or $14 monthly fee to use Shipt.
Additionally, in May, Walmart announced the launch of next-day delivery for free on select orders of $35 or more, according to another article by TechCrunch.
Source: Kroger/App Store[/caption]
Upping the speed on last-mile delivery has been a perennial theme as brick-and-mortar retailers try to keep up with and surpass the experience offered by Amazon.com.
In 2014, Amazon launched its Prime Now one- and two-hour delivery service for Prime members. More recently it extended the benefit to Whole Foods customers, allowing Amazon Prime members shopping at Whole Foods to receive either free two-hour delivery or one-hour delivery for $7.99 on orders exceeding $35 in select markets. Earlier this year, Amazon announced plans to make the Prime Now delivery perk available for shoppers in all 475 Whole Foods locations with plans to expand Whole Foods’ footprint in part to support grocery delivery in more markets.
In just the past few months, other retailers have also announced plans to add enhanced delivery offerings.
Target debuted a section on Target.com dedicated exclusively featuring products available via same-day delivery, according to TechCrunch. Same-day deliveries are fulfilled by the Target-owned Shipt.
Target’s pricing structure for same-day delivery has also changed. Customers are now able to choose one-hour delivery for $9.99 rather than paying a $99 yearly subscription or $14 monthly fee to use Shipt.
Additionally, in May, Walmart announced the launch of next-day delivery for free on select orders of $35 or more, according to another article by TechCrunch.
- Kroger pilots 30-minute grocery delivery – Supermarket News
- Will same-day delivery flexibility give Target an edge over Amazon and Walmart? – RetailWire
- Whole Foods to expand nationwide to drive Prime Now growth – RetailWire
- Did Walmart just one-up Amazon on next day deliveries – RetailWire
- Will same-day delivery flexibility give Target an edge over Amazon and Walmart? – RetailWire
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