Rapid Retail: Hellmann’s Trials Impulse Groceries App

Trading on busy modern consumers’ need for speed and propensity for in-the-moment decision-making, Unilever-owned condiments brand Hellmann’s has developed a direct-to-consumer app (currently in beta) that delivers fresh ingredients for people cooking a new recipe, fast.

Created with tech start-up Quiqup (an on-demand delivery service also detailed in Retail: Delivery Innovations Update, 2016), the initiative currently revolves around Hellmann’s-featuring recipes being chosen in-app by existing Quiqup users. Those choosing a recipe will have all the ingredients delivered within an hour – presumably including a brand-new jar of Hellmann’s mayonnaise, making the concept more than just a profile-raising exercise for Hellmann’s. The other ingredients will come from retailers affiliated with Quiqup – from independent grocers to supermarket giants like UK brand Tesco. For more on the growing importance of trans-brand connections, look out for Wraparound Retail: IoT-Enabled Engagement in the Liquid Retail Industry Trend, publishing on September 25.

The app is currently focused on time-poor Londoners, but is applicable to cities globally – with speed being a huge concern for shoppers. Only 17% of US consumers would recommend a company with effective yet slow service (StellaService, 2014), while 83% of consumers expects more from customer service than ever, including real-time communication (Zendesk, 2017).

The concept targets a growing consumer preference, especially in the millennial bracket, for top-up shopping – an attitudinal shift based on less waste and more instant gratification. We explored this idea in New Food Roles & Rituals and Downsized Retail Destinations (see the section City Stores and the Rise of the Micro Mall).

See also Rapid Retail: Bite-Sized Engagement.