Waitrose to deliver and unpack shopping while customers are out
Waitrose is to begin operating a service where customers can have their groceries delivered inside their homes and put away while they are out.
Initially run as a pilot, the ‘While You’re Away’ service will be tested among 100 customers who are situated within the delivery area for Waitrose’s Coulsdon fulfilment centre in south London.
Using Yale smart lock technology, the customer gives the delivery driver access to their home by setting a temporary access code for their door lock which is sent to Waitrose via a secure app. The code is then sent to the driver’s device at the time the customer has booked for the delivery and is deleted once the delivery is made.
Once inside, the driver will put refrigerated and frozen goods away and leave other groceries on the kitchen counter. The driver will wear camera and a video of their visit will be available to the customer on request by the next working day.
The service is subject to a minimum order value of £25 and, given small number of customers involved at this stage, there is a minimum number of six orders. However, this will be reviewed after the trial.
If the trial is successful, Waitrose will look to make the service available to more than 1,000 customers in spring 2019.
Archie Mason, head of business development from Waitrose & Partners, said: “There is certainly an increasing demand among our customers to make shopping with us even more convenient to fit around their busy lifestyles. Rather than waiting for a delivery or trying to put everything away, it gives customers more flexibility to use that time differently, including more time enjoying cooking and eating the food they’ve bought. The concept of ‘in-home delivery’ has started to prove popular in other countries so we are keen to establish if there is an appetite for it in the UK.”
