It’s an omnichannel holiday at Hy-Vee

Regional supermarket co-op Hy-Vee Inc. is giving customers seamless access to their purchases just in time for the holidays.



Earlier this year, 240-unit, West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee launched Hy-Vee Aisles Online, a new service that allows customers to shop for their groceries, pay electronically and choose to pick up their order or have it delivered to their home. The rollout of the program began in select stores in the Des Moines metro area in April and was gradually launched across other markets throughout the summer.



Now Hy-Vee Aisles Online is available at all stores. It also retains promotions such as weekly specials, coupons and Fuel Saver + Perks discounts.



“Hy-Vee is committed to providing customers with the best value, the greatest convenience and the most choice in their shopping experience,” said Jeremy Gosch, senior VP of merchandising for Hy-Vee. “Hy-Vee Aisles Online is tailored to fit our customers’ needs and their families’ busy schedules. We still love seeing our customers in the store, but we believe this is a value-added service for customers during those times when they can’t make it to the store or are pressed for time.”



Customers can use their Hy-vee.com account to select their preferred store before shopping that store’s inventory, and also create shopping lists and mark products as their favorites. When customers link their account to their loyalty card, their most recently purchased items will automatically be listed first, creating a seamless shopping experience.



Once customers place an order, an Aisles Online personal shopper hand-selects the products. The groceries are kept in climate-controlled totes until they are unloaded into the customer’s vehicle or delivered to the customer’s home. Store pickup and home delivery are both free with a $100 order; orders under $100 have a $2.95 fee for pickup and $4.95 fee for delivery.



By adding omnichannel “click and collect” service to its online delivery offering, Hy-Vee maximizes convenience for consumers who may prefer to pick up their order in-store rather than wait for home delivery. Click & Collect is especially suited to grocery, where orders can usually easily fit inside a customer’s car and also often involve a lot of small items dispersed around the store.



By generally eliminating the need for time-consuming grocery shopping for busy consumers, Hy-Vee is helping to make the holidays both omnichannel and merry.