Ahold USA Created Pick-Up Service, Could use Same-Day Delivery
Friday, July 12, 2013 at 8:56AM 
Many grocery stores are at work pursuing to create just the right shopping experience for the future. It appears the next innovation in grocery shopping is here. You can ask Ahold USA about their new idea, which is showing even the biggest of grocery retailers how to be successful.
Internet Retailer recently reported Ahold USA has created a grocery pick-up service called Peapod. With Ahold, customers do not have to come and wait in long lines to finally get to the register. Customers can actually go right online, buy the groceries they want and then, pick their grocery order up at their local supermarket. In their case, it is Stop & Shop or Giant Foods. There are no fees involved with the service as well.
The Peapod also offers home delivery service, which has been in operation for over a decade. This means the operation has been proven and Ahold optimizes on productivity. With this innovative service, productivity and efficiency is key. It is a two-hour window delivery service. If a customer has the time to wait, this is a great option for receiving your groceries.
A customer goes to Peapod.com to shop for the groceries and the supermarket fulfills the order. You can set the time they would like to pick up their order. Upon arrival between the pick-up time, a supermarket employees confirms who the recipient is. The plus about Peapod is, if you order something online that is not in stock, you have to option of allowing them to substitute for it or credit the account for a full refund.
With the growth of online retail consistently growing annually, it is inevitable that grocery online services were bound to follow. Online retail is also creating a higher demand for the speed in which products are delivered. This opens the door for competitors with an edge in this area, to capture more market share. Retail giants such as Wal-Mart, are currently testing same-day delivery of online products. Wal-Mart is exploring a Peapod type service as well.
Grocery pick-up and delivery services both have a place for same-day delivery by courier services like A-1 Express. This nationwide courier can be a viable option for grocery store chains to turn to for grocery deliveries to their customers. A-1 Express is able to develop superior courier logistic solutions to meet any online grocery service needs. Ahold USA could potentially partner with A-1 Express to pick-up a customer's grocery order and deliver to them.
Reference: Internet Retailer, Danny Silverman, 6.26.03, Skipping the checkout line: a first look at Ahold USA's pick-up service
Reader Comments (1)
Thanks a lot for the blog post.