Lowes Foods Gains Additional Fulfillment Capabilities
To accommodate the surge in demand for online grocery shopping, Lowes Foods has partnered with last-mile solutions provider Delivery Solutions. With this partnership, the locally owned and operated grocer gains additional fulfillment capabilities to serve customers through its Lowes Foods-To-Go offering, with access to the entire in-store inventory, real-time visibility, and fast, reliable deliveries.
Delivery Solutions is a provider of intelligent solutions that aggregate, orchestrate and optimize last-mile delivery. The company helps enable omnichannel retailing with a suite of solutions for same-day delivery, curbside, in-store pickup, shipping and enhanced post-purchase customer experiences.
Its technology will allow Lowes Foods to centralize and streamline last-mile fulfillment. The delivery experience is ensured to be the same from store to store, regardless of which third-party service is tapped to deliver the groceries. When customers shop online with Lowes Foods, they will get one consistent experience, with a Lowes Foods branded interface, notifications and driver mapping.
Delivery Solutions was already integrated with ShopperKit (acquired by Applied Data Corp.), Lowes Foods’ existing picking technology, which ensures a fast, smooth transition to offering same-day delivery.
Implementing Delivery Solutions’ technology allows Lowes Foods to optimize batching for pooled distribution with cargo trucks and vans, offer special delivery to lockers within senior communities, and make its entire in-store aisle available online with specialized delivery providers for alcohol and cold-chain delivery. Lowes Foods can now meet promised delivery timelines and automatically route the order to the best provider, thanks to the solution’s built-in intelligent orchestration engine. Lowes Foods is also able to control the digital customer experience every step of the way, with Delivery Solutions’ white-label branded customer communications and real-time live tracking.
“Trust is paramount in the grocery e-commerce space — retailers are not only responsible for safe, fresh and accurate orders, but they must find ways to communicate with their guests and make them aware of essential elements of the online journey. Delivery Solutions allows us to centralize and streamline our last-mile fulfillment and provide the best possible delivery experience for our guests,” said Chad Petersen, VP of e-commerce at Lowes Foods. “Another key advantage is the control and scalability that the platform provides our internal business team, allowing us to scale providers, rates and geographies without a ‘heavy lift’ on coding or custom development.”
By the end of the year, Lowes Foods will deploy Delivery Solutions’ same-day delivery and post-purchase solutions across all of the grocer's locations that offer e-commerce.
"We admire Lowes Foods’ dedication to the communities it serves and are honored to help them provide the best possible fulfillment experience,” said Arshaad Mirza, founder of Plano, Texas-based Delivery Solutions. “Grocers with top omnichannel experiences are leading the way in the industry, and we’re proud to work with an innovator such as Lowes Foods.”
A wholly owned subsidiary of Hickory, N.C.-based Alex Lee Inc., Lowes Foods LLC employs approximately 9,000 people and operates 80 full-service supermarkets in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The company is No. 65 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food retailers in North America.
