Startups, retailers, and grocery giants alike, everyone is taking a stab at entering the realm of delivery to bring their products to the consumer rather than enticing the customers into the store. Product delivery as a market, specifically groceries, has grown immensely over the last few years. Amazon, Google, Instacart, Postmates, Shipt, Relay Foods, Peapod, and more all offer delivery programs in an effort to increase sales and attract customers by allowing the convenience of grocery shopping from home. Yet with all of these established retailers and startups focused on quick, same day delivery, Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, has placed its focus on offering convenience to its customers via curbside grocery pickup at a number of store locations throughout the U.S. According to TechCrunch,…
Whole Foods, Instacart Ink Multi-Year Delivery and Investment Agreement
According to tech news site Re/code, Whole Foods and Instacart have signed a new partnership agreement that solidifies the courier service as the exclusive delivery affiliate for Whole Foods’ perishable business. The terms of the deal, a five-year agreement, have not been made public, but Instacart’s commercial arrangements generally include a provision for revenue sharing. Whole Foods executives have a favorable outlook of the new deal with Instacart with co-CEO Walter Robb stating earlier this year that “many” of its stores are “seeing [Instacart] sales as a percentage of total store in the mid-to-high single digits.” Interestingly, Whole Foods had previously partnered with Google’s delivery business, Google Express in San Francisco, but the pact involves only one store location and is a recent development. With…
From Exotic to Commonplace – Nutritional Alternatives to Time-Tested Products
When many of us were children, we ate snack bars that came in three flavors and were over the moon when the standard cereal bar was swapped out for the occasional cheese stick. No matter what your childhood snacking habits looked like, those time-tested products can’t hold a candle to the explosion of variety rocketing onto grocery store shelves in present day. One company who is seizing onto new consumer trends is Abbott. Even the name of their new snack brand, Curate, puts the consumer in mind of sophisticated museums and a feeling of high society. No longer are consumers willing to accept any standard product, but are curating their diets around quality nutrition and good taste. The new product line includes snack bar flavors…
Preventing Driver Fatigue thru Wearable Technology
Almost 4,000 people were killed and 95,000 were injured in Large Truck accidents in 2013, reports The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the latest year for which data is available. As the industry works to decrease this number, tech companies are proposing wearables as a potential solution says a new article from Transport Topics. The Apple Watch and other smartwatches provide a natural springboard for monitoring driver behavior and providing navigation. Taps on the wrist, via the watch, can be deployed to alert when driver exceeds speed limit, or if using navigation, when a turn is coming up. These taps are designed to provide data in a non-obtrusive way that does not require the driver taking his or her eyes off the road. Additionally, the watch face…
Get What You Need in a Dash
Amazon announced an expansion of its Dash replenishment system this week, forming partnerships with manufacturers of printers to pet food dispensers. Dash buttons were launched last year to much attention, but the real star of the show is just emerging, Dash Replenishment Services (DRS). Designed to integrate with smart, connected devices, DRS will automatically order replenishment product when an item is running low. Imagine never running out of ink for your printer ever again. Through Amazon’s DRS program, developers can add 10 lines of code to their product and enable it to integrate with the consumer’s Amazon account. The device, sticking with the printer example, monitors the ink supply and sends a replenishment order to Amazon when it detects the ink supply is running low. The…
UPC Alternative? Digital Watermarks
The UPC is getting a makeover. Digimarc Corp. has partnered with GS1, the company that oversees UPCs, to bring unique digital identifiers to product packaging. Currently used on everything from driver’s licenses to money, digital watermarks are expected to save time in the supply chain and in retail. This is because digital watermarks are printed all over the product packaging, rather than in one location. Scanners and smartphones can simply be pointed in the direction of the product, instead of locating the bar code and scanning. This will help with inventory location, counting, and speed up point-of-sale transactions. GS1 and Digimarc are excited about the partnership and the benefits it will bring to product manufacturers, especially the ability of the marks to help prevent…
Campbell’s Will Disclose GMO’s
Campbell’s CEO Denise Morrison announced this week that her company will identify the presence of genetically engineered ingredients in its products. This decision was brought about by Vermont’s legislation requiring such disclose. As no federal standard yet exists, Campbell’s is preparing to label all of it’s affected products before Vermont’s law takes effect in July. Additionally, Campbell’s has launched a website, www.whatsinmyfood.com, that provides customers with more information across genetically modified ingredients, and common sources of GMOs. It also provides a list of Campbell’s products that do not contain GMOs. Campbell’s is calling for a federal standard to remove inconsistencies by state, and by product. Morrison points out that the way the Vermont legislation is currently written, it only requires disclosure on products governed by…
Samsung’s Smart Refrigerator Wants to Order Your Groceries
Your tablet just just got a lot bigger. Samsung unveiled it’s newest Smart Refrigerator, and the right refrigerator door is composed of a giant Gorilla Glass screen. The touchscreen panel is 21.5 inches and integrates with several apps and services, such as Pandora and Instacart. MasterCard and ShopRite have also collaborated with Samsung to provide grocery shopping abilities and easy payment. The fridge even comes with cameras embedded in the door to take pictures of the inside of the fridge each time the door is shut. With the fridge’s app, you can pull up images of the inside of your fridge when you’re at the grocery store. For instance, if you forgot to add eggs to your list and are debating if you need them,…
Kroger Creating Future of Groceries via Technology and Service
Grocery stores are constantly looking to increase their market share and revenue in the massive $600 billion industry in which they belong. Kroger is hoping to accomplish this by leveraging technology, services, and an expanded product line. These concerted efforts by Kroger are an attempt to entice consumers and make decisions to advance efficiency and profitability. According to Yahoo! Finance and Business Insider, Kroger has been consistently increasing its number of offerings. These include natural and organic foods as well as items for customers on a budget. The company has also expanded outside of its traditional grocery offerings and into home and personal goods. In addition, the chain has been equipping their stores with high-tech functionality that supplies store managers with real time data and…
Skype Co-Founders Deliver Groceries in New Venture
In 2016, Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis plan to begin testing Starship, their autonomous grocery delivery vehicle. Starship will travel with a more conventional grocery delivery van, and will take over the last mile or two, driving itself over sidewalks and up driveways. It is expected to travel at about 4 mph and be able to carry up to 20 lbs of groceries, which is roughly 2 bags of groceries. Starship will remain locked as it travels, and the customer can unlock it using their mobile device when it arrives at their doorstep. The initial testing ground will be Greenwich, London, where the founders plan on making deliveries in under a half hour for less than £1. The inexpensive delivery cost will also…