4 minute read
Home Delivery
by 55 North
Home delivery heats up
TikTok is to sell fresh food for the first time, with Pasta Evangelists, The Fish Society and The Veg Box Company among the first brands to launch on the platform.
TikTok users in the UK will soon be able to purchase fresh food directly through TikTok Shop. The UK currently has more than 17 million active TikTok users and they tend to spend over 60 minutes a day on the app. Food content has now clocked up more than 26 billion views on the platform, with everyone from amateur foodies to celebrity chefs taking to Tik- Tok to share their love of all things food, and it has been the catalyst for some of the biggest viral food trends over the past year.
Now users will be able to purchase fresh food directly from brands including pasta brand Pasta Evangelists, online fishmonger The Fish Society, The Veg Box Company, ready meal firm By Ruby, and juice and smoothie specialist EXALT by downloading the TikTok app and going to the brands’ TikTok Shop pages.
Patrick Nommensen, Senior Director, eCommerce Operations, said: “TikTok has made it easier than ever for food brands and creators to be discovered, and we have an active community of food lovers on the platform. Enabling fresh food brands and creators to sell directly to our community through a seamless transaction on TikTok Shop is a logical next step. There will also be a huge opportunity for new food brands looking for a springboard to market, and I am excited to see more fresh products available on the platform.” exciting opportunity to change the face of modern retail.”
LUXURY ITEMS
Meanwhile, rapid grocery delivery app, Zapp has launched a new premium store – ‘Zapp Boutique’ – a 24/7 convenience service for luxury items.
The service offers premium products ranging from food, beauty, and tech. Zapp Boutique users can order items from brands such as Cîroc, Aesop, Antinori, Belvedere, Ginori 1735, La Roche-Posay, Lina Stores and Moët and Chandon for delivery in minutes.
Other products include Apple Air- Pods Pro (£239.99), Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Super Anti-Aging Face Cream 50ml (£225), Lelo Tiani Duo (£189.99), Antinori Tignanello 2018 75cl (£144.99), Daylesford Diffuser Fig Gift Set (£48.99), and Trudon Mary and Reggio Candle 270g (£89.99).
Zapp vice-president of strategy, Steve O’Hear, said: “Our mission is to delight customers with things that make them happy, the moment they want it and so it made perfect sense to take the Zapp experience to the next level with Zapp Boutique.
“Premium products have always been incredibly popular with our customers and now it’s easier than ever to shop premium and luxury on Zapp.”
This news comes as Zapp unveiled a new partnership with remote medical testing platform, Certific, earlier this month to provide customers with UTI and STI test kits delivered within minutes.
CONTRACT EXTENSIONS
More conventionally, Co-op and Deliveroo have extended their partnership for a further three years, with plans for the rapid grocery delivery service to be available from up to 1,400 of the convenience retailer’s stores by the end of the year.
Co-op and Deliveroo first joined forces in 2017 and, following the contract renewal, they plan to have 110 additional Co-op stores available on the Deliveroo platform this year.
Meanwhile, following a trial, Deliveroo Signature is also being rolled out across hundreds of Co-op stores. It makes Deliveroo’s network of riders available to deliver orders placed directly with Co-op through its own online shop.
ALL TO PLAY FOR
These developments come as new figures suggest that total online grocery penetration is plateauing following rapid growth through the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.
The TWC Trends research, which was conducted in June 2022, suggests there is little loyalty in online grocery, with only 18% of consumers saying they always use the same retailer and 13% saying they use an online delivery.
Sarah Coleman, Communications Director at TWC, said: “The low level of loyalty in the online grocery channel means it’s all to play for and, given the current cost-of-living crisis, any play on price is likely to be well received by consumers and may just encourage them to switch their shopping habits.”
