Changing the Grocery Game

Online pick-up grocer JackBe opens first location in Edmond

BY JAKE DURHAM

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC RESHAPED THE WORLD IN unimaginable ways. Businesses have had to rethink the way they do practically everything. Some companies emerged more robust than before, while others ceased to exist.

At the pandemic’s beginning, grocery stores witnessed a surge in spending. Trends were wildly unlike existing predictions, as many grocers experienced as much as eight years of sales projections within a single month. People began planning and preparing more complex at-home meals. Consumers planned fewer trips to the store and stocked up on items to avoid going out.

Grocers also witnessed an increase in demand for online shopping and touchless pickup. Before the pandemic, online shopping accounted for about 3% of grocery sales, according to a survey conducted by market researcher

Brick Meets Click and e-commerce company Mercatus. Between 2020 and 2022, consumers spent $1.7 trillion online, which was $609 billion more spent than between 2018 and 2019. As life settles into a new normal, Mercatus estimates that online grocery sales will take up about 20% of the market by 2026. Consumers are making online grocery shopping a habit.

In 2023, JackBe, a new pick-up-only, on-demand grocery service, hopes to reinvent how people in Oklahoma City purchase groceries. “By opening JackBe, we’re introducing a new way for customers to shop that provides convenience, value and great quality with no substitutions,” said JackBe CEO Alex Ruhter in a press release. “We have studied customers’ needs and created a shopping experience that’s designed specifically for busy people. We’re committed to our promise to make grocery shopping a better experience. That’s why we’re excited to share JackBe with the Oklahoma City community, where we are founded and headquartered.”

The first JackBe location opened Jan. 10 at 18001 N. May Ave. in Edmond, and another store is already under construction. Physical stores are used only as locations where consumers can pick up groceries they ordered through the JackBe app. When ready, the customer pulls into a drive-thru area where a JackBe team member brings groceries to their vehicle. According to JackBe, the 17,000-square-foot store can fill up to 200 orders every hour and carries the most popular items from common grocery needs, including baked goods, produce, meat, deli items, consumables, health and beauty care products and items for babies and pets.

Additional features include a guarantee of no substitutions, no membership fees, hand-picked items, reduced cost of operations that delivers value passed on to the consumer and an easy shopping experience focused on convenience. As the company grows, Ruhter plans for JackBe to sell more Oklahoma goods and produce.

“Our commitment to our shoppers is to do everything in our power to offer the best shopping experience, delivering both speed and quality — and we look forward to supporting more communities as we grow,” Ruhter said.

For more information about JackBe and the latest updates on new store locations, visit jackbenimble.com

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