A woman packing a grocery bag for delivery in Seattle, Washington. Smaller upstarts have thrown their hats into the grocery delivery ring, aiming to satisfy the intense demand while building customer loyalty for when the pandemic recedes. — Reuters
Housebound Americans looking to avoid supermarket anxiety have been bombarding FreshDirect, Kroger, Amazon and others for more than a month now. Incessant clicking in the hope of scoring a slot – followed by sudden cancellations or half-filled orders – are the new normal.
Seizing this opportunity, smaller upstarts have stepped in – aiming to satisfy the intense demand while building customer loyalty for when the pandemic recedes. For some of them, it’s been boom times – perhaps too much so. The logistics of being a small online grocer with a sudden surge of orders can be brutal, and ramping up a grocery delivery business can’t be done overnight.
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