Hy-Vee Offers 2-Hour Express Pickup
Grocers say consumers are willing to pay for speed and convenience.
May 12, 2020 | 2 min read
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa—Hy-Vee grocery, with 265 stores located in eight Midwestern states, has added a two-hour "express" pickup option for shoppers using its Aisles Online grocery service, according to a company news release, joining other convenience and grocery retail locations as they reach out to fill consumer needs.
The service costs $9.95 per order, and a limited number of two-hour pick-up slots are available each day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Customers will know if an express slot is available when they place their order online. All stores that offer Aisles Online, the company’s pick-up and delivery service, will offer express pickup. Customers will receive text and email notifications about their orders the same way they do for standard pickup orders.
Before the pandemic, grocers were trying to reduce or eliminate pickup fees to match giants like Walmart and Amazon, but increased e-commerce demand has removed some of that pressure. Because many consumers are dealing with out-of-stocks, wait lists and delayed availability for pickup and delivery, retailers believe a small charge for faster fulfillment will meet less resistance.
Walmart recently introduced its own two-hour, fee-based express option, although the service is specific to delivery. The fee is $10 on top of Walmart’s standard $9.95 delivery charge, and it lets shoppers select from 160,000 products across food and general merchandise. The service aims to rival Amazon’s ultrafast grocery delivery for Prime customers. H-E-B also offers express delivery for grocery essentials through its subsidiary, Favor Delivery. Brookshire Grocery's website says customers can pick up orders in as little as two hours, and Stop & Shop announced same-day grocery pickup last summer for a fee of $2.95.
Many grocers are expanding standard curbside pickup. Giant Eagle recently transformed one Pittsburgh location into a fulfillment center and pick-up store, joining two similarly converted outlets in Ohio. Whole Foods, Stop & Shop and Kroger also have recently converted stores to e-commerce service only.
In addition to the new express option, Hy-Vee said it is increasing available time slots for all Aisles Online orders and expanding its online product assortment to include items from the bakery, beauty and garden departments.
For more insight on how the Hy-Vee brand is focusing on customer satisfaction, don’t miss “Ideas 2 Go: Hy-Vee Fast and Fresh Focus.”
Crisis management Merchandising
