AUSTRALIA, January 27, 2015 (Thu): ShopWings, the online supermarket with 2-hour delivery, was launched in Sydney yesterday. ShopWings delivers everyday products from local grocery stores straight to the customer’s doorstep. Users select their favourite shop (including ALDI, Coles and Harris Farm), pick their groceries on the website www.shopwings.com.au and the items arrive two hours after the order is placed or during a later 1-hour delivery window depending on the customer’s preference. ShopWings professional shoppers provide a fast and convenient connection between stores and customers.
According to a report from IBISWorld, the online grocery sales industry had not yet reached the scale of the online retailing sector over the past few years however it is one of the online sectors which is expected to grow the fastest. The industry revenues are expected to grow by more than 15% per annum in the coming years as the use of virtual grocery stores becomes more common.
Manutea Dupont, co-founder & Managing Director of ShopWings Australia, explains: “We believe a lot of people are busy and seek modern solutions that save them time. ShopWings was founded to replace the hassle of traditional shopping with an innovative alternative, so our customers can get what they need from their favourite stores, when they need it without having to go to the supermarket themselves. Australians spend 2.5 hours per week on grocery shopping, that’s almost an entire week spent every year in a shop! Think about all the great things they could do with this time. It therefore seems obvious to us that with the right service online shopping will expand a lot in the next few years.”
ShopWings is expanding overseas just three months after the initial launch in Germany. Dupont states, “We are very proud that Australia is the first country ShopWings is expanding into. Australia is a modern and innovation-hungry country. Sydney in particular is a fast-pasted city full of busy people, who are all looking for innovative ways to make their lives easier. We’re not the first in the online grocery delivery space but we are the first ones to do it well: you can now shop online from your favourite supermarkets that didn’t have the same-day delivery option before and you don’t need to wait at home all day with our 1 hour delivery windows. Our team doesn’t only deliver everyday goods – it provides our customers with more time for other important things in their lives.”
ShopWings is addressing an emerging need and establishing a new culture of online grocery shopping. Dupont states, “We are convinced that customers want the internet to be more personal”. Currently, there is a lack of human involvement in online grocery shopping. Overcoming the lack of the emotional component in online shopping will have a strong positive impact on customer attraction and retention.
At ShopWings, personal shoppers fill this void and create the human link. They also really like it. A ShopWings personal shopper said, “We enjoy working for ShopWings because it allows us to choose our own working hours while helping people in their everyday lives. It is great to combine the advantages of conventional grocery stores with the convenience of an online service.”
