Lowes Foods enhances online delivery capabilities
Lowes Foods is partnering to gain additional fulfillment capabilities for its on-demand delivery offering.
The Southeast regional grocer, operating in the Carolinas and Virginia, is partnering with the last-mile delivery services platform Delivery Solutions to provide its Lowes Foods-To-Go customers access to the entire in-store inventory, real-time visibility and fast, reliable deliveries.
With the surge in demand for online grocery shopping caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lowes Foods sought a multi-provider orchestration platform that would allow it to optimize customer experiences, unit economics and delivery coverage, without losing control of its omnichannel customer experience.
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Ultimately, Lowes Foods chose to work with Delivery Solutions, which was already integrated with Lowes Foods’ existing ShopperKit picking technology. This alignment helped ensure a fast, smooth transition to offering same-day delivery. Leveraging Delivery Solutions, Lowes Foods intended to have every online order collected and delivered by the provider which was best-suited to meet customer, store and order commitments.
Delivery Solutions supported Lowes Foods’ existing omnichannel fulfillment strategy, including the use of regional and national online delivery providers. The grocer also utilizes the platform to optimize batching for pooled distribution with cargo trucks and vans, offer special delivery to lockers within senior communities, and make the entire in-store aisle available online, with specialized delivery providers for alcohol and cold chain delivery.
In addition, Lowes Foods has been able to meet promised delivery timelines and automatically route online orders to the best provider, supported by the solution’s built-in intelligent orchestration engine. Equally important, Lowes Foods is able to control the digital customer experience at every step of the way, with Delivery Solutions’ white-labeled, branded customer communications and real-time live tracking.
By the end of the year, Lowes Foods will utilize Delivery Solutions’ same-day delivery and post-purchase solutions across all locations that offer e-commerce.
“Trust is paramount in the grocery e-commerce space—retailers are not only responsible for safe, fresh and accurate orders, but they must find ways to communicate with their guests and make them aware of essential elements of the online journey. Delivery Solutions allows us to centralize and streamline our last-mile fulfillment and provide the best possible delivery experience for our guests,” said Chad Petersen, VP of e-commerce, Lowes Foods. “Another key advantage is the control and scalability that the platform provides our internal business team, allowing us to scale providers, rates, and geographies without a ‘heavy lift’ on coding or custom development.”
"We admire Lowes Food’s dedication to the communities it serves and are honored to help them provide the best possible fulfillment experience,” said Arshaad Mirza, founder, Delivery Solutions. “Grocers with top omnichannel experiences are leading the way in the industry, and we’re proud to work with an innovator such as Lowes Foods. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership.”
Founded in 1954 and based in Durham, N.C., Lowes Foods operates 80 full-service supermarkets in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.