Dive Brief:
- Jacksons Food Stores is partnering with digital commerce firm Lula Commerce to run its online ordering and delivery in five states, the companies announced on Monday.
- The new partnership will expand Jacksons’ online presence from just being on Instacart to now also being available on Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash, according to information from Jacksons. It will also aggregate the orders to streamline back-of-house operations.
- This announcement marks the latest digital push by Jacksons, which recently revealed its updated rewards program, Let’s Go Rewards, in conjunction with Par Retail.
Dive Insight:
With the new partnership, Jacksons’ expanded delivery and ordering services are now available throughout Idaho and in select Seattle locations, with the program expected to encompass all the markets Jacksons operates in in Idaho, Washington, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon by the end of next year.
Lula also consolidates all inbound orders except Instacart and all performance reporting into a single platform for easier fulfillment and insights, according to information from Jacksons.
Jacksons and Lula ran a small pilot program in Treasure Valley, Idaho, covering both delivery and pickup. Once the test run increased demand and earned positive customer responses, the companies said they decided to roll it out more widely.
Lula Commerce, Lula’s latest online ordering and managed services solution, was first unveiled in late July. In addition to creating a more unified digital experience, the “all-in-one solution” uses AI to handle some tasks that would normally be handled by the retailer’s employees in areas like marketing, accounting and category management. This automation streamlines the workflow for employees as well, enabling them to spend less time fulfilling orders and more on customer engagement.
“There is a new standard for convenience in the marketplace as in-store, pickup and delivery options give guests more freedom than ever to shop when they want to and how they want to,” said Cory Jackson, Jacksons Food Stores president.
Lula Commerce integrates with five marketplaces and 12 point-of-sale systems, in addition to supporting first-party delivery.
Boise, Idaho-based Jacksons Food Stores operates more than 300 c-stores in Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, California and Utah under the Jacksons Food Stores and ExtraMile by Jacksons Convenience Store brands.
