Grocer Kroger launches new delivery service

The Kroger Co. announced today the launch of its new e-commerce grocery delivery service, Kroger Ship, which will allow customers to shop online for their favorite Kroger brands and get deliveries as quick as the next day in certain areas.

Not to be confused with the grocer’s Kroger Delivery service, which partners with Instacart to home-deliver groceries to customers from local store locations within two hours, Kroger Ship will help shoppers stock-up on necessary non-perishables like toilet paper and peanut butter.

To start, the delivery service will launch in four cities across the Midwest and South: Cincinnati, Houston, Louisville and Nashville. That’s just a small selection of the grocery company’s 2,800 store fleet and 35-state reach. During the first phase of Kroger Ship’s implementation, customers will be able to choose from a “curated selection” of 4,500 Our Brands products, as well as a selection of 50,000 household essentials.

All Kroger Ship deliveries will be fulfilled through the company’s two fulfillment centers — located in Nevada and North Carolina — and will work in partnership with FedEx and USPS to ship deliveries, according to information provided to TechCrunch in an email by Kroger’s head of Corporate Communications and Media Relations. The company also has plans to break ground this fall on a new fulfillment center in Kentucky, with more centers possible in the future as Kroger Ship grows.

During its launch, Kroger Ship will offer free deliveries for all purchases, as well as 15 percent off customers’ first orders with a one-time promotional code. Post launch, orders over $35 will ship for free ($4.99 shipping otherwise) and the service will offer exclusive promotional deals and codes to Ship users.

While Kroger has a pretty firm foothold when it comes to brick-and-mortar groceries (in 2016, the National Retail Federation named it the third largest retailer in the world behind Walmart and Costco), Kroger is joining a crowded online grocery delivery space.

In addition to competition Kroger Delivery already faces from same-day delivery, corporate partnerships like Target and Shipt, Walmart and Postmates and Prime Now fulfillment of Whole Foods deliveries through Amazon, Kroger’s Ship service faces competition from wholesalers like Costco and its two-day nationwide non-perishable delivery service. In its own attempt at buddy-ing with a similar wholesaler, Boxed, Kroger’s $400 million acquisition offer was denied this March.

from Amazon – TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/01/grocer-kroger-launches-new-delivery-service/

Hyundai teams up with Amazon to offer virtual showroom

Next time you’re grabbing a new charging cord on Amazon, you might be tempted to grab a new Hyundai as well. Hyundai announced today a partnership with Amazon to create a digital showroom to allow customers to compare pricing and reviews, book a test drive and find a dealer in their area to purchase the car (no, you can’t order them directly from Amazon — yet.)

“The car industry is changing, and customer demands and expectations around a frictionless, efficient and transparent experience are key drivers,” Dean Evans, Hyundai Motor America CMO, said in a statement.

The digital showroom will be incorporated into Amazon’s Vehicle section, which Amazon launched in 2016 for customers to browse automobile makes and models, from Tesla cars to vehicles from Toyota. But, while some of these vehicle profiles are lacking in detailed pictures or model information, Hyundai has created a more robust experience.

On its own unique landing page, Hyundai highlights the brand’s features, such as its compatibility with Alexa and its Shopper Assurance program, and creates a selection of Hyundai vehicles for you based on your preferences and buying habits. From there, you can select a model you’d like to look at and explore it in typical Amazon style — flipping between different product pictures, colors and customer reviews.

After you’re happy with your selection, you can either schedule a test-drive — where you have the option for the car to pick you up in your driveway — or go directly to a dealer near you to sign the paperwork.

With the average industry price of $36,270 for a new car in 2018, according to Kelly Blue Book, maybe it’s a good thing there’s no Dash button for these vehicles just yet.

from Amazon – TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/18/hyundai-teams-up-with-amazon-to-offer-virtual-showroom/