つまり、『超高速の食料品の配達』サービスでは、その分、余計なコスト、経費をかけないということで、消費者が来店することを想定していない小型の倉庫形式の店舗(これを英語では、ダーク・ストアと呼んでます)が、これまで一般的でしたが、Gopuffは、無人レジなど最新テクノロジーを導入し、そのダーク・ストアを来店客にも対応できるように、「改良されたダーク・ストア形式」(a modified dark store format)に進化させているそうです。
A wave of ultrafast delivery companies has entered New York City and turned the city into a test ground for how fast consumers want groceries and other goods.
“When Amazon came out with two-day Prime [delivery], that was the most revolutionary thing,” said Yakir Gola, co-founder and co-CEO of Gopuff. “Now, people want it in 20 minutes. In 10 years, people are going to want it in five, 10 minutes. At the end of the day, people value time, so you have to keep innovating.”
If ultrafast delivery companies win more customers, they could chip away at competitors’ baskets and reduce shoppers’ trips to the store, said Laura Kennedy, a retail analyst at CB Insights. This happened before, as people began ordering one or two items at a time from Amazon.
“It adds up to a lot of items and then it adds up to not just wallet share, but mindshare,” she said. “It’s death by a thousand cuts.”
Buyk CEO Slava Bocharov said the delivery service is not only faster, it changes how people shop. Instead of stocking up on a week or two of groceries, people can buy what they need in the moment — such as fresh fruit, a loaf of bread or a single steak.
Buyk is a U.S.-based spinoff of St. Petersburg-based delivery company, Samokat, which was founded in 2018. It launched in New York City last month and plans to expand to Washington, D.C., Chicago and Boston.
Bocharov said the company has about 800 dark stores in 25 cities and delivers about 7 million orders each month. In Russia, he said, some of its shoppers don’t have a refrigerator and use the service to buy the perishable items they need each day.
The companies could challenge grocers, drugstores, convenience stores and big-box retailers — especially those in dense, urban markets. Many have already rolled out ways to get online purchases to people faster. Walmart has a two-hour or less express delivery option. Target owns fast-growing, same-day delivery service Shipt. And Ulta Beauty and LVMH-owned Sephora recently announced plans for same-day delivery of lotion, lipstick and other beauty goods in select markets.