Coles this week confirmed it is working with Uber to trial same-day delivery of grocery items to some of its customers.
Running from August through September, the trial only involves re-delivery of items that may have been left out or need replacing from Coles Online orders, a spokesperson for the supermarket told Internet Retailing.
The trial is being conducted out of Coles’ dark store in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond, according to a report by The Sydney Morning Herald. Uber confirmed the partnership to Internet Retailing, but said it currently has no plans for a broader roll-out or extension of the trial.
However, the service appears to be similar to the company’s UberRUSH offering, which is currently available in certain cities in the US, including San Francisco, Chicago and some areas of New York City.
Launched in 2014, UberRUSH allows businesses to have items delivered to customers’ doorsteps by an Uber delivery partner. Using an API, businesses can make UberRUSH a delivery option at checkout.
According to the company’s website, Walmart, Nordstrom, Cole Haan, 1-800-Flowers, T-Mobile and Google Express currently offer UberRUSH. E-commerce platforms, such as Shopify and BigCommerce, as well as logistics providers like SAP, also offer integrations. Uber’s partnership with Coles comes as several Australian retailers announce plans to improve their express delivery options, including Woolworths and The Athlete’s Foot owner, RCG.
Online retailer Edible Blooms started offering one-hour delivery nationwide through a partnership with UberEATS in May of this year. Although the service is normally reserved for restaurants, Edible Blooms was able to sign up, since it sells bouquets made out of chocolate and fruit.
Founder Kelly Jamieson told Internet Retailing she is seeing more orders come through UberEATS every month, despite zero marketing efforts. Currently, customers have to order from Edible Blooms through the UberEATS app, but Jamieson said she plans to integrate the delivery option on the Edible Blooms website in future.
“I think that will increase the visibility, it’s on our wishlist,” she said.
While Jamieson admitted she hasn’t measured the impact of UberEATS on sales yet – saying it is “still very early days” – she said it provides a real opportunity to provide better service and convenience to customers.
“Generally speaking, we’re seeing customer trends of people wanting it now. This allows us to save the day,” she said.
This article was first published on Internet Retailing.
