Tesco tests out drive-through delivery

Retailers are experimenting with numerous different ways to blend online and off for their customers, as we’ve already seen on several occasions. Curbside pickup of online orders has been the theme at both Sears and French hypermarket chain E.Leclerc, while Shutl and several others have been pushing the bounds of near-instant home delivery. The latest spotting? British Tesco, which just last week launched what it calls a “drive-thru supermarket.” Focusing initially as a trial at Tesco’s Baldock Extra store in Hertfordshire, the new service lets customers order their shopping as usual on the Tesco.com website. From there, they choose a “Click and Collect” option and book a two-hour time slot for picking up their groceries. At any point during that two-hour window, they can drive up to a reserved area in the Tesco car park and show a staff member their shopping reference details. Without ever having to get out of their car, they can then sit back and relax while the Tesco team packs their groceries into the boot. A flat GBP 2 picking and packing charge is simply added to the customer’s shopping bill. During the trial, Tesco holds customers’ groceries in a Tesco.com delivery van for collection; if it’s successful, however, Tesco says it will explore possible ways of adapting its stores so as to make drive-through shopping a permanent feature. Some analysts have questioned the scalability of Tesco’s experiment. Nevertheless, it’s further evidence of the need for hybrids in this OFF=ON world. One to watch! Spotted by: Marketing Magazine via Raymond Kollau