British supermarket chain Waitrose is testing fully-automated temperature-controlled collection lockers in order to launch them as part of its ‘click and collect’ service.
Shoppers who place an order using Waitrose.com will receive a text message containing a PIN number. They can then drive up to the lockers, enter the number using a touch screen integrated in to the locker unit and collect their shopping. Multiple customer orders are stored in ambient, chilled and frozen temperature-controlled lockers that can be refilled several times a day. The service is free if the purchase is over $75 (£50) and an order placed before 11.45am can be collected the next day.
Waitrose is expanding its grocery click and collect service which has been available in 150 branches since 2009. The retailer has conducted a three-month trial of a drive-through service in five Waitrose shops. The drive-through service will be rolled out further next year.
“Giving our customers as many ways as possible to buy and collect their groceries on the move is key to building on the phenomenal growth seen at Waitrose.com. Collection lockers will unlock the potential to reach customers in locations where we don’t have a shop and which are very convenient, such as on the way home from work or the school run. More and more people are adding an online shopping mission to their way of buying from Waitrose and we will continue to invest in making sure that we give them what they want, when they want it,” says Robin Phillips, director-Ecommerce, Waitrose.