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Instacart Takes on DashMart With ALDI USA Digital C-Store Partnership! Instacart, the renowned eGrocery marketplace, has forged a strategic partnership with discount grocer Aldi to introduce swift 30-minute delivery of convenience store goods. This collaboration is expected to fortify Instacart’s competitive standing within the grocery aggregation sector, positioning it favorably against industry rivals like DoorDash and Uber Eats . The pioneering venture, christened Aldi Express, entails the launch of a virtual convenience store that offers a wide array of nearly 2,000 products, readily available for on-demand delivery from over 2,100 Aldi locations across the United States. Ryan Hamburger, Vice President of Retail at Instacart, expressed his enthusiasm regarding the launch, stating, “With this initiative, we aim to streamline nationwide access to customers’ beloved ALDI essentials with unprecedented speed.” This development comes in the midst of a fierce competition among grocery and restaurant aggregators, as they strive to seize a larger market share in the realm of on-demand convenience sales. DoorDash for instance, has been diligently working to promote its platform and encourage the adoption of its DashPass subscription program. DoorDash Co-founder and CEO Tony Xu highlighted the company’s evolving role as a comprehensive destination for diverse product categories, emphasizing their commitment to deliver a seamless shopping experience. Xu noted, “Customers expect DoorDash to cater to their needs, whether they are seeking to purchase a baseball bat from or a pound of lettuce from a grocery store.” Similarly, Grubhub has expanded its operations with the introduction of Grubhub Goods, a digital convenience store, in addition to its partnerships with third-party retailers. Meanwhile, Uber Eats has also curated an extensive selection of convenience stores on its platform. These endeavors assume paramount importance as consumers exhibit a higher demand for non-grocery items through digital channels compared to grocery items. Research conducted by PYMNTS, which involved a comprehensive survey of over 2,700 U.S. consumers regarding their omnichannel shopping habits, revealed that eCommerce accounts for 12% of food and beverage sales, while a more substantial 21% of health and personal care items are purchased online. For Aldi, this collaboration signifies a strategic move by grocers to enter the convenience category, thereby enhancing customer engagement and creating new opportunities. Moreover, in April, Texas-based supermarket chain H-E-B, which boasts over 430 locations in Texas and Mexico, announced the launch of its Fresh Bites brand, a convenience store chain. #grocerydelivery #fridaytakeaway #fooddelivery

👉 Instant same-day delivery: Obviously, you're used to it as a consumer. But in the B2B wholesale landscape, particularly in regions where infrastructure is less sophisticated, this idea still feels like a page from a science fiction novel. Now, think about a Mexican Tiendita. A quaint, cozy store, the kind you might describe as a "corner store" in the US or "Tante Emma Laden" in Germany. Imagine the revolution it would be for them to have same-day delivery. This is no longer a distant future, but the tangible present being shaped by my recent podcast guest. In this Commerce Talks episode, I'm joined by Mexican e-commerce trailblazer José Manuel Esparza, the Head of Digital Commerce at Mercado Mayco and CEO of Dupplo - Mexico's first digital CPG wholesaler. 🎙️🇲🇽 José's deep insights into the unique aspects of Mexico's grocery shopping culture and his fresh perspectives on digital transformation are something you wouldn't want to miss. Diving into our conversation, a few things José said really stood out (timestamps included for your convenience): At 20:45, he illuminated Dupplo's differentiator, "We were actually born from the traditional wholesaling industry. It brought a lot of experience and knowledge about our customers, what their needs are, which use cases the traditional wholesaler is not fulfilling." Fast-forward to 27:14, José shared an impressive commitment, "If one of our customers places an order today by 1 PM. They get it delivered the same day." And at 42:12, a realization, "In order to place Dupplo as a primary source of resupplying for our customers, we need to be better than the best of the traditional players." Backed by Spryker, Dupplo brings the ease of online shopping to Tienditas - the heart and soul of Mexico's grocery market. In case you didn’t know: these small shops make up around 70% of the country's food and beverage spending. With Dupplo, José and his team are helping them eliminate traditional supply chain hurdles and focus more on what matters most - serving their communities. It's a compelling narrative of how a company, rooted in traditional wholesaling, is reshaping the retail landscape with technology. You can listen to the full podcast episode on all major platforms and here: https://lnkd.in/dYEyZvX2 But before you go, I have one question: Have you seen a similar transformation in your local retail sector? How is technology bridging the gap between traditional and digital commerce in your part of the world? Let's talk about it. 🌐 #CommerceTalks #ecommerce #digitaltransformation #B2B #retailing

Doordash’s strategy is a prime example of Flieber’s philosophy. Brands win by selling everywhere they can. The only reason most brands don’t do this is because of operational limitations. DoorDash is enabling Sephora to cater to a new audience that is trying to get last-minute products. No more missing your favorite MAC lipstick on a blind date. As DoorDash expands its offering, it becomes closer to an online convenience store than a food delivery service. DoorDash can select its offerings better since it doesn't need to keep its own stock, and it isn't limited to serving a specific area. Flieber is all about helping brands sell more and sell everywhere. Would you have a beauty product delivered? https://lnkd.in/eMn8PxFm

Grubhub and Gopuff team up for grocery and alcohol delivery Grubhub and Gopuff are partnering to provide fast delivery of grocery items, alcohol and essential items. The new partnership will see the Chicago-based food delivery platform tap into Gopuff’s warehouses to deliver a wider selection of convenience items to its customers, while also opening up a new channel for Gopuff to reach more customers.  The companies are piloting the partnership this week in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and Austin. In the coming weeks, hundreds of Gopuff locations across the country will be available on the Grubhub Marketplace. Gopuff orders placed on Grubhub’s app will be fulfilled by Gopuff’s logistics. “Expanding Gopuff’s platform allows us to meet consumers’ immediate needs anywhere they shop,” said Daniel Folkman, the senior vice president of business at Gopuff, in a press release. “By combining our broad assortment, logistics network and infrastructure with the virtual storefronts of Grubhub, we can create more seamless one-stop shopping experiences for Gopuff’s unparalleled one-stop shopping... https://lnkd.in/gC6frwXE

The CEO of the 12th largest U.S. retailer thinks self-checkout is worth it despite theft. Ahold Delhaize announced last month that it was selling FreshDirect to grocery delivery service Getir after less than three years, bowing to the cutthroat grocery e-commerce market. But CEO Frans Muller believes e-commerce can better succeed, and make a profit, if fully integrated into the retailer's physical stores business as more shoppers gravitate toward online pickup or grocery delivery services like Instacart. Pursuing profitable growth is key at a time when inflation and trading down are hurting grocers, which have notoriously small profit margins compared to other retailers. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eB8twVAv

THINKING SMALL AT ALDI What follows is only my opinion. Strategy is the least understood aspect of business. Even well-known retailers can make decisions they think are strategic but they’re not. For example, “ALDI USA and Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, have announced ALDI Express, a new Instacart-powered virtual convenience store, that gets ALDI-exclusive products to customers' doors quicker than ever. From convenience items such as prepared foods, snacks and drinks to grocery staples and household essentials, ALDI Express gives customers access to nearly 2,000 of the most-shopped ALDI items, delivered in as fast as 30-minutes. ALDI Express convenience delivery is now available to customers from more than 2,100 ALDI locations across the country.” Note to ALDI: I strongly advise you to dump any mention of 30-minute delivery. I guarantee that Instacart delivery drivers will feel pressured to hit the 30-minute threshold leading to unnecessary accidents that will tarnish the Aldi brand. Is ALDI Express the right strategy? ALDI appears to think so: "We know our customers live hectic lives, and sometimes that means they don't have time to make it to the grocery store - even for a quick trip,” said Scott Patton, vice president of National Buying at Aldi. “Through Aldi Express, we're making shopping more convenient so you can satisfy a craving or get a missing ingredient in minutes. Together with Instacart, we'll continue to find ways to innovate and make the online grocery experience even more effortless and accessible." Apparently, the executives at ALDI (Jason Hart, Eric Riegger) have determined that being the leading discounter in the world isn't enough. ALDI is now a convenience store. I wonder who put that idea into their head… My guess is that it was Instacart: "We're proud to deepen our partnership with ALDI through the introduction of ALDI Express. With this launch, we're making it easier for customers nationwide to get their favorite ALDI staples delivered faster than ever before," said Ryan Hamburger, Vice President of Retail at Instacart. Making ALDI a competitor of Dash Mart, a virtual convenience store operated by DoorDash, isn't only the wrong strategy, it's a bad idea. If this is the best Instacart can do for ALDI, ALDI should partner with DoorDash. Tony Xu will agree with me, I’m sure. I am a fan of ALDI. Instead of thinking small, ALDI needs to Think BIG. I strongly advise ALDI to contact Mark Edwards, the founder and CEO of 345 Global, and have a conversation with Mark. 345 Global has the best AI, AR/VR, digital twin, e-commerce, and integrated store planning software on the market. Instacart doesn’t have anything that can compete with the software from 345 Global. A demo of the software will convince ALDI that I’m right. Mark will be able to present ALDI with a new vision for the company. Mark will help ALDI Think BIG. 345 Global can transform ALDI. #retail #groceryindustry

Amazon’s grocery revamp has begun... Refreshing the #amazonfresh store format that started as an #ecommerce service more than 15 years ago and began operating food stores in 2020 with its frictionless #JustWalkOut system and its #DashCarts is now expanding its online access to #wholefoods, meaning customers can put all their items in one cart which underscore the company’s will to (possibly...) succeed in pretty complex and very competitive US/UK sector. Where is the disruptor... where is seems the new concept is bringing Amazon Fresh in line with traditional grocery shops, what else ?

This week: Grocers See Early Success With New Store Formats Wegmans, Meijer, H-E-B and Hy-Vee have each broken their traditional mold in order to cater to changing consumer shopping habits, Placer.ai highlighted in a recent report. While Wegmans and Meijer have downsized their newer locations, H-E-B and Hy-Vee have debuted grocery supercenters with additional non-food offerings. Each of these new formats is helping companies drive traffic and reach new shoppers. 🔹 Starbucks Expands Last-Mile Options 🔹 Walmart Has Tripled its Last-Mile Delivery Driver Roster 🔹 Streamlining B2B Distribution: Tips for a More Efficient Supply Chain 🔹 B2B Distribution in the Age of Amazon: How to Stay Competitive 🔹 How to Use Technology to Improve B2B Distribution Find the summaries & full stories for our new bi-monthly newsletter on our website. #retail #grocery #lastmile #delivery #b2b #distribution #supplychain