Auchan started a quick-commerce test in Bordeaux-Talence with a promise of delivery in 15 minutes.
The Talence Gambetta supermarket was chosen both for its urban location, the density of housing and for its ability to act quickly, already proven last year during the first lockdown.
Investment? Very low!
The supermarket reused the basement of the store, approximately 150 m2 with access to the outside so that delivery people can leave the dark store on their bikes. On the equipment side, the fresh gondolas are rented and the area is managed from a PC which receives the orders and a printer which edits the picking sheets (obviously in view of the digital terminals). Electrically assisted bicycles (x 3) are also rented. They are bridled at 25 km / hour (as required by regulations).
Offer?
1,500 products which come from the store assortment (16,000 products), but which are stored specifically in the dark store, with the exception of a few products such as roast chicken, sushi, etc. Almost half of the offer consists of fresh produce. And the Auchan private label is over-represented for two reasons:
1 the Auchan product improves the perceived accessibility of the offer
2 the margin mix is better
Prices?
The prices are the same as at the store. Both the regular prices and the specials. Loyalty benefits are also applied. In addition to the basket, € 1.99 for delivery costs and 20 cents for bagging costs.
Why 15 minutes?
Two reasons… First, Auchan has a larger delivery area than the standard for this market: 2 km circle around the store which can actually represent 3 to 3.5 km to go, therefore impossible to guarantee delivery in 10 minutes. Then, the customer study showed that they don’t really make a difference between 10 and 15 minutes.
Organization?
The 2 couriers (Auchan employees) preparers permanently assigned to the express service are alerted as soon as an order arrives. They have a maximum of 4 minutes to prepare it. At the moment, the products are not yet addressed (they will be in the short term) but since the employees are also responsible for restocking the dark store, they know the locations. 4 minutes later, they must therefore be on their bikes: this is one of the peculiarities of the Auchan test, the employees are versatile – pickers-couriers. They carry a maximum of 25 kg per delivery. The service operates from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sundays.
