Co-op has launched a quick commerce partnership trial with Uber Direct, Uber’s white-label delivery solution. The trial will allow Co-op members and customers to order groceries from its website through its app via the Uber Eats delivery network. The trial will initially be available from fifty Co-op stores, but the convenience retailer has ambitions to offer customers access to its online shop from around 1,000 stores by the end of 2024.
Mintel comment:
“Co-op has ambitions to hold nearly 30% of the quick commerce market, and in a highly competitive environment it is critical that retailers continue to invest to make it as easy as possible to shop from them. This expansion of Co-op and Uber Eats partnership is a notable step-forward, allowing Co-op to leverage UberEats' expertise in its own website service, as well as via Uber Eats platform, in the same way Tesco has rapidly expanded its very successful Whoosh service.
A quarter (25%) of online grocery shoppers now use quick commerce online grocery services for at least part of their online grocery needs, with top-ups and meal occasions the most used missions for such services (see: Mintel’s upcoming Online Grocery Retailing - UK, 2024). Indeed for many these services are replacing physical convenience missions, with nearly one-quarter of consumers having used rapid delivery services as an alternative to going to a convenience store (see Mintel’sConvenience Stores, UK - 2023Report).
Quick commerce delivery services pose a threat to the convenience sector as they provide an alternative to shopping in-store, so it is critical that convenience retailers look to embrace and look to lead this sector to maintain market position and this is something the Co-op continues to do with this latest tie-up.”
