Dive Brief:
- Convenience stores Wesco, Hutchinson Oil and FavTrip all invested an unspecified amount in e-commerce software company Vroom Delivery’s latest fundraising round, according to a press release.
- All three of the companies are already using Vroom Delivery’s technology, with Wesco being its first customer ever.
- The company said the funding will be used to add new features, boost available automation and improve “onboarding and account management programs.”
Dive Insight:
Vroom Delivery is highlighting investments from some of its key c-store customers as a testament to its growing e-commerce fulfillment solution, which includes everything from digital storefronts to product listings and integrations with delivery providers.
Wesco joined the Vroom Delivery platform in 2018, initially using it to create a hot-food pick-up offering for 36 of its stores, as well as curbside and in-store pickup at each of the chain’s 56 locations in Michigan, according to the press release.
The Muskegon, Michigan-based chain helped Vroom learn more about the specific challenges c-stores face and also helped the platform integrate SNAP and EBT payments as well as digital menus, inventory and loyalty programs, according to the release.
Wesco was the first company to integrate Vroom Delivery’s recent partnership with PDI Loyalty, which provides digital rewards for loyalty customers that can be redeemed online.
Nancy Westgate-Systema, co-president of Wesco, said stores have heard from customers that the delivery option had great customer service and helped people with disabilities who might have a hard time getting to the store.
Elk City, Oklahoma-based Hutchinson Oil also joined in 2019. Hutchinson Oil, doing business as Hutch’s, owns 21 stores that serve parts of Oklahoma and Kansas. The food-oriented c-store leveraged its partnership with Vroom Delivery to bring more traffic to its drive-thru.
Kansas City, Missouri-based FavTrip, meanwhile, was the first to use Vroom Delivery’s white-label third-party delivery service – a service that lets companies take advantage of the delivery networks of companies like DoorDash. FavTrip owns two stores in Missouri.
In the six years since its founding in 2016, Vroom Delivery has developed a customer base whose c-stores span nearly 40 states. It focuses squarely on the c-store space, with its tools allowing companies to build an online store and set up their own delivery and e-commerce platform. It has also developed a network of partnerships to augment the services it offers. In addition to PDI and DoorDash, it’s also working with Skipcart, Punchh and Koupon, among others.
