Dive Brief:
- The Home Depot is expanding its same-day delivery service in partnership with grocery technology company Instacart, the companies announced May 23.
- The growth of the service between the two companies follows a successful pilot and incorporates Instacart's Big & Bulky fulfillment solution, a service that includes same-day and scheduled deliveries for heavy items up to 60 pounds.
- By extending its collaboration with Instacart, The Home Depot can deliver products such as garden essentials, building supplies and light fixtures “in as fast as an hour from nearly 2,000 store locations,” according to the release.
Dive Insight:
The Home Depot’s partnership with Instacart aligns with the company’s plan to achieve same-day delivery nationwide in the U.S.
"By supplementing our existing same-day and next-day delivery options on homedepot.com with Instacart's fast and convenient shopper experience, we're increasing flexibility for our customers to meet them no matter how they choose to shop." Jordan Broggi, EVP of customer experience and president of online at The Home Depot, said in the release announcing the expanded partnership with Instacart.
In 2019, The Home Depot announced plans to invest $1.2 billion in its supply chain as part of its efforts to reach nationwide same-day delivery — at the time, the company said it could reach 70% of the U.S. population with same-day delivery.
The Home Depot has employed multiple strategies on its quest to expand same-day delivery — most notably by leveraging its distribution centers. With its flatbed distribution centers, the company can pick, pack and ship lumber and other building materials, while its direct fulfillment centers ship products such as flooring, windows and doors.
“More job site delivery orders fulfilled from our distribution centers means less congestion in our stores and less time dedicated to picking, packing and staging orders for delivery,” Ann-Marie Campbell, senior EVP of U.S. stores and operations at The Home Depot, said in a Feb. 20 earnings call.
Rival hardware retailer Lowe’s has also been working on expanding its same-day delivery offerings. Last year, the company announced it was working with omnichannel fulfillment provider OneRail to allow for the delivery of in-stock products to job sites and homes on the same day if ordered by 2 p.m. local time.
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