Walmart is adding its in-home delivery service an option for Walmart+ subscribers, making it easier for them to access the service through a single registration as it expands to new markets. Amazon for its part is giving Prime members a year of free GrubHub deliveries, while getting an option for a 2% stake in the company.
Fears of inflation eating away at household incomes continues to run ahead of COVID-19 concerns, according to a May trend report from 84.51˚, the consumer data and analytics arm of Kroger. These concerns are also causing more consumers to want BNPL to expand beyond products to services, according to a Harris poll.
E-grocery sales in April fell 3.8% to $8.1 billion, while order volume was down 5.8% as nagging inflation and the ongoing return to stores hit both order frequency and the number of active online users, according Brick Meets Click and Mercatus. The sector has been giving back some of the the healthy gains it saw in 2020 and 2021.
Amazon said it is closing six Whole Foods locations, a rare pullback after the parent company reported a disappointing Q1 loss of $3.8 billion that helped send markets tumbling on April 29. The stores being closed are located in Montgomery and Mobile, AL, Tarzana, CA, Brookline, MA and two in Chicago.
The founders DynoSafe, maker of a patented refrigerated smart safe for porch deliveries that won a “Shark Tank” investment deal with Robert Herjavec, is in discussion with manufacturers and prepping its go-to-market plan. Fellow Shark Mark Cuban is also on the board of the husband-and-wife-led company.
E-grocery platform Farmstead is expanding into suburban markets with an offering tailored to the mass market. It targets the 70% of suburban consumers shopping mid-market grocers and have few delivery options. Co-founder and CEO Pradeep Elankumaran, talks about the business model, outsourcing of its tech stack and expansion plans.
Walmart is the most popular destination for e-grocery ordering, according to a new survey by Chicory, cited by 36% of respondents, followed by Amazon at 23%, and Instacart a distant third at 10%. Target was cited by just under 10% of respondents, followed by Kroger at 7%, Albertson’s/Safeway (3%), Stop & Shop (2%) and Shipt (1%).
Opting for full third-party delivery for grocers came with many short-term advantages, allowing them to offer e-grocery solutions overnight. But this lucrative solution may not be sustainable for grocers who intend to make online an important part of their business. Owning the full omnichannel experience pays long-term dividends.
