Market research firm dunnhumby is out with a new report full of interesting insights into the Multichannel grocery consumer, across established, emerging and nascent markets. The report finds that emerging markets in online grocery, such as the US, are experiencing 90%+ YOY growth, an astounding figure. The online market is different from the in-store market in a few key ways, including brand loyalty. When shopping online, 53% of all purchases are items the consumer has previously bought, illustrating how consumers have embraced the option to shop off their past purchases and saved lists. The online market has progressed past the days of Webvan, and is here to stay. Online grocery was a hot topic at the recent FMI/GMA Supply Chain Conference: click here to read more about…
2015 FMI/GMA Joint Supply Chain Conference
This year’s Supply Chain Conference, hosted in Phoenix, AZ, was a complete success. ES3 had the pleasure of hosting not only two dinners, but also a General Session and an interactive booth. ES3’s booth featured a different internet-enabled device each day to demonstrate how ordinary everyday items can be connected and controlled over the internet. We are living in an era of inter-connectivity, and to be successful in this new world, we must learn to collaborate with one another. ES3’s model of consolidation connects different manufacturers with each other to fill trucks more efficiently, allowing for greater speed-to-shelf and fewer out-of-stocks. The General Session, sponsored by ES3 and CHEP, Smart Devices Meet Smart Supply Networks- When the Digital and Physical Worlds Connect, featured three industry experts, each with different…
Visit Us at the FMI/GMA TPA Supply Chain Conference!
ES3 is headed to Phoenix, AZ to the FMI/GMA TPA Supply Chain Conference, where we will showcase an interactive booth and an idea-stimulating general session. Join us for our general session on Monday, February 16 at 4:30 PM to learn about the Internet of Things, the Physical Internet, and the future of retail from industry experts Jack Uldrich, Technology Futurist and IoT Expert; Benoit Montreuil, Professor at Georgia Tech; and Doug Stevens, Founder of Retail Prophet. Post-session, meet the speakers at ES3’s booth and discover some of the new technologies equipped with internet capabilities changing the face of supply chain as we know it. Learn about ES3’s model of collaboration and how our supply chain must adapt to the new era of consumer expectations. Our…
Your Farmers Market Delivered, Thanks to Overstock.com
Overstock has kicked off a new partnership with local farmers to deliver fresh produce to your doorstep. The new service, called Farmers Market, connects consumers with small and local farms in their areas, providing access to seasonal, healthy food. At launch, the service reached about 20% of the US population, but Overstock has since expanded the service to 70% of the population. All items sold on Farmers Market feature a detailed overview of the farmer or local company who produced the good, and some even include recipes designed to highlight the item’s flavor. Overstock Introduces Farmers Market SALT LAKE CITY, Nov 05, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) — Overstock.com, Inc. OSTK, +0.63% announces the launch of a new Farmers Marketsection within the Overstock website. This market…
Grocery Delivery Then and Now
On Monday, the Wall Street Journal published a compelling comparison of two popular grocery delivery companies, one from the 90s, Webvan, and one from today, Instacart. In Webvan’s heyday, the company was making $239 million in revenue with almost $441 million of venture capital invested. Today, Instacart makes $100 million in revenue and just recently raised $220 million in a round of funding for a total venture capital investment of $275 million. The most notable difference between Webvan and Instacart, however, wasn’t the different in revenue; it was the basic business model. Instacart uses the existing inventory of its retail partners while Webvan invested in refrigerated warehouses that cost nearly $40 million each. Because of the difference in infrastructure investment, Instacart is able to service…
Romantic Valentines Dinner
Surprise your sweetie to a romantic home cooked meal this Valentines Day, using some of our partners products. Caramelized-Onion and Gruyère Tarts Ingredients 3 cup(s) (about 10 ounces) grated Gruyère cheese 8 ounce(s) cream cheese, softened 1 teaspoon(s) Gulden’s Spicy mustard 1 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh oregano 3/4 teaspoon(s) fresh ground pepper 2 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter 2 large (2 cups) sweet yellow onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick 2 tablespoon(s) fresh thyme 1 box of Puff Pastry 1/2 cup(s) kalamata olives, sliced Directions Make the tarts: Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix Gruyère, cream cheese, mustard, oregano, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet, add onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until dark brown and caramelized — about 1 hour. Stir in the thyme and…
Specialty Food Start-ups Attract Venture Capital
Specialty food is trending up. Consumers everywhere are looking for unique food products, often international and often natural, organic, and locally sourced. According to the Wall Street Journal article below, the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade estimated that sales reached a new record high of $88.3 billion in 2013. Venture capitalists have invested a total of $570 million in specialty food start-ups in the past 5 years. At the heart of the new popularity of specialty foods is a concern for the environment and personal health. Environmentally, people want to know where their food comes from and a shorter supply chain reduces carbon emissions. A shorter supply chain also makes it easier for produce from the farm to make it directly into retailers’ stores. The popular perception…
The Culinary Institute of America Takes On 3D Printing
3D printed food is likely to start showing up on your plate as chefs gain more practice time with printers. A new partnership between The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and 3D Systems aims to do just that, adding 3D printing into the CIA curriculum and continuing education. The partnership will commence in 2015, and will focus on confections to start with. To kickoff the announcement, Dr. Tim Ryan, president of the CIA, and Avi Reichental, president and CEO of 3DS, will be at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. CIA’s New Partnership To Advance Food 3D Printing 3D Systems (3DS) has partnered with The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) to provide faculty and students the opportunity to explore the intersection of 3D printed food and artisan…
Another Delivery Start-Up: Favor
With Uber making all sorts of headlines, both good and bad, and all sorts of cash, more and more eyes are turning to the possibilities of the crowd-sourced delivery market. Favor is a promising startup currently operating in Boston, Austin, and Dallas. A customer can use the app to order food, in “three taps” on their mobile device, and a Favor “runner” will acquire and deliver the food. Runners can earn around $15 an hour. Favor’s site proudly states it can deliver “tacos from food trailers, groceries from Whole Foods, office supplies from Office Max. You name it.” Favor’s model allows more sales revenue for popular businesses. After its most recent launch in Dallas in November 2014, Favor boasted that it has helped businesses earn an additional $3…
Peapod Pilots Grocery Pickup at D.C. Metro Stations
Peapod recently announced a new pilot to provide pickup of grocery orders at some of Washington DC’s Metro stations. The pilot gives Peapod shoppers the option to select “pickup at a metro station” when checking out online, where they can grab their order from a Peapod attendant at the end of their commute. Shoppers have the option of carrying bags from lockers, or they can pull their cars around to a designated area, where Peapod attendants will load the order into the shoppers car. The pilot is planned to last for six months at three different metro stations. Assuming all goes well, the initiative is expected to roll out to a broader swath of stations, reaching more commuters. So far, the response from potential customers has been…