DoorDash Adds Camping World, JD Sports, Golf Galaxy, The Vitamin Shoppe
Walmart goes drone crazy, decarbonizing delivery, BNPL data
DoorDash just announced some exciting new retailers… but they may sound a bit familiar to Instacart shoppers. But before we get to those details, let’s check in with Walmart’s sky-high ambitions, deep dive on how to decarbonize delivery, and understand what BNPL shoppers are craving. Read on!
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Today:
Walmart’s Drone Ambitions Take Flight
Decarbonizing On-Demand Delivery
Chart Time | Singing the BNPL Blues
DoorDash’s New Retail Partners
AUTONOMY | Walmart Brings Drone Delivery to 1.8M Households
More big tech news out of CES, with mega-retailer Walmart announcing the largest drone delivery plans of any American retailer. The expanded service covers 75% of the Dallas-Fort Worth region’s flat, featureless terrain, serving approximately 1.8 million households. Working with BVLOS certified providers Wing and Zipline, Walmart has already completed 20k deliveries over the past two years. The service promises goods at your door (or lawn) in 10 to 30 minutes.
The Big Picture: The Bentonville Big Boxer shared other tech ambitions at the Vegas tradeshow. A new Generative AI powered search for it iOS app aims to improve personalization and offer use-case specific results. InHome Replenishment hopes to automatically suggest which goods you may need to reorder. Shop with Friends adds a social layer to shopping. And Sam’s Club added a computer vision enhanced receipt verification service to speed up exiting the members only subdivision.
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GREEN | Moving Delivery to Zero Emissions
Uber and RMI just released a new research report — Can Your On-Demand Deliveries Be Emissions Free? — looking at how to best decarbonize last mile delivery. The top takeaways are that city officials, app-based delivery platforms, community based orgs and other stakeholders need to focus on:
Reducing upfront cost of purchasing an electric mode of transportation
Providing convenient and accessible charging infrastructure and battery swapping
Improving road safety through built environment enhancements and courier safety education
The Big Picture: “There’s a huge opportunity for local governments, app-based delivery companies, and other stakeholders to collaboratively ensure delivery couriers can safely navigate urban landscapes, while reducing tailpipe emissions. For example, RMI found that in London, transitioning to zero-emission modes could decrease GHG emissions from last-mile delivery in the city by 62% by 2040, but couriers will need support from stakeholders to ensure these modes are accessible, affordable, and safe to use. It will take a multifaceted, multi-stakeholder approach to overcome these hurdles,” said Raquel Soat, Senior Associate at RMI, in a statement shared with Modern Delivery. In terms of fleet mix, not all “electric vehicles” power the same results; the more we can get people onto ebikes and not electric cars/vans, the better it is for both the earth and their out of pocket expenses.
CHART TIME | Lower Fees, More Rewards
A new survey of BNPL (buy now, pay later) users shows that shoppers want to have their cake and eat it too. While around one third of respondents want more rewards, availability and higher credit limits, about one quarter were also looking for lower fees and longer installment plans. We’d love to see the cross tabs on this one!
3PD | DoorDash Adds Camping, Sports, Supplement Retailers
The 3PD arms race continues, with DoorDash firing the first new retailers shot of the year. New to DD’s platform are Camping World — with 190 RV and camping storefronts, Golf Galaxy — boasting 100+ equipment and apparel locales, JD Sports and Finish Line — with over 500 locations for sneakerheads, and The Vitamin Shoppe —featuring nearly 700 locations for people that think something called “Bucked Up Swole Whip Woke AF Black Pre-Workout Protein Powder (12.91 oz)” is actually good for them. DoorDash now has over 100,000 non-restaurant storefronts on the platform, with nearly 2M products.
The Big Picture: DoorDash is celebrating the launch with 20% off all eligible orders. But will that be enough to drive new demand to stores that are already widely available across 3PD? Instacart added Camping World in October and JD Sports / Finish Line the month after, while its partnership with The Vitamin Shoppe goes all the way back to 2020, as does its deal with Golf Galaxy (and parent co Dick’s Sporting Goods.)
A Few Good Links
Wine & spirit wholesalers complain that 1 in 4 IDs not checked during booze delivery. Food delivery by horseback. Here Technologies launches goods / package routing software for precise ETAs. NYCDOT launches Curb Activity challenge. Taco Bell launches Live Más Live to reward top fans. Hertz thins EV fleet. OpenAI launches GPT store. Startup Ree Automotive launches electric trucks with by-wire tech for steering, braking and driving. Cummins to pay $175M over emissions cheating. ALDI drops plastic bags. Menu inflation cools. Qdoba hopes franchising will differentiate it from Chipotle’s company-owned model. Applebee’s adds first mezcals to bar menu, looks like they’re gonna get turnt in Peoria… DoorDash tipping drama. Papa John’s hopes to right size U.K. presence, boost margins in N. America.
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