SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa’s supermarket chain Pick n Pay has relaunched and rebranded its on-demand delivery service, Bottles, as Pick n Pay asap!.
Bottles was launched in 2016 as South Africa’s first on-demand alcohol delivery app, and partnered with Pick n Pay in 2018.
Following the prohibition on the sale of alcohol in March 2020, Bottles and Pick n Pay worked closely to pivot the app from liquor to grocery deliveries.
In October last year, the retailer acquired the delivery startup, with Bottles founding members Enrico Ferigolli and Vincent Viviers, and key managers and staff moving across to Pick n Pay.
Following the purchase, Bottles quickly became an integral part of Pick n Pay’s online offering, spurred by the recent rise in popularity of online shopping.
John Bradshaw, Retail Executive omnichannel at Pick n Pay, said, “Our customers are thoroughly enjoying the convenience and flexibility of the delivery app and will benefit even more from the fresh new look and improvements that we’ve made to it with the aim of making grocery shopping easy.
“To show our appreciation for their support, customers will have their orders delivered free of charge during August.”
The Pick n Pay Asap! app offers same-day grocery deliveries in as little as 60 minutes, with a standard delivery fee of R35 (US$2.43), reports Bizcommunity.
The app now boasts approximately 1.2 million downloads and over 500,000 registered users, competing against Woolworths’ Woolies Dash and Checkers’ Sixty60.
Customers can earn smart shopper points when ordering via the app and will receive items in the new-look reusable and 100% recyclable brown paper delivery bags.
“Our customers are thoroughly enjoying the convenience and flexibility of the delivery app and will benefit even more from the fresh new look and improvements that we’ve made to it with the aim of making grocery shopping easy.”
John Bradshaw – Retail Executive omnichannel at Pick n Pay
Walmart opens up its retail tech to other businesses
Meanwhile, Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, will begin offering several of its own technologies and capabilities to other businesses and brands seeking to better serve customers who are increasingly shopping across digital and physical storefronts.
As part of this effort, the retailer also announced a strategic partnership with Adobe to integrate Walmart’s Marketplace, online and in-store fulfilment and pickup technologies with Adobe Commerce, a commerce solution for merchants and brands.
Walmart has continued to leverage technology, such as machine learning, cloud-powered checkout and pickup capabilities to offer more convenience and enhance the overall shopping experience for customers.
Through the Adobe Commerce platform, retail businesses will be able to use Walmart’s cloud-based services to offer seamless pickup and delivery to their customers.
Businesses will be able to reach new customers on Walmart’s marketplace where they can leverage the retailer’s fulfilment services to offer 2-day shipping nationwide.
Walmart said that the partnership with Adobe to offer these capabilities will help businesses of all sizes improve their customer experience while operating more efficiently.
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