Stop & Shop accelerates online operations to meet record e-commerce demand
Stop & Shop has hired more than 750 associates since March to support its online operations expansion.
According to the most recent survey by Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Survey fielded May 20-22, 2020, online grocery sales in May 2020 increased 24% compared to April 2020, to reach $6.6bn. Household penetration hit 33% in May (up from 31% in April) as approximately 43 million customers shopped online for groceries during the previous 30-day period, according to the research.
“COVID-19 has accelerated online grocery adoption at a rate the industry hadn’t expected to see for years,” commented Sylvain Perrier, president and CEO, Mercatus.
As part of its e-commerce investment, Stop & Shop also expanded its availability on Instacart, making same-day, contactless delivery with Instacart available at 321 stores (75% of its stores).
Stop & Shop currently operates one warehouse and 21 'warerooms' across its footprint and will be adding three new warerooms in 2020 to increase e-commerce capacity. Stop & Shop also plans to add pickup options at an additional 50 stores (the service was launched in June 2019 and is currently available at 212 stores). With the service, customers place an order on Peapod.com and head to their local store and have a Stop & Shop associate load their groceries right into their car.
"By adding new warerooms, additional locations for pickup and expanding our partnership with Instacart, we’re rapidly accelerating our e-commerce capacity and making it possible for more customers to shop how and when they want with us,” said Gordon Reid, president of Stop & Shop.
“Creating a seamless omnichannel experience was a strategic priority for us prior to the pandemic, and with the increased demand we’ve seen over the last several months, it’s more important than ever that we deliver improved digital solutions and online fulfillment for our customers to shop for the food and other groceries they need.”
