In the battle for supermarket shoppers, Australia's grocery giant Woolworths has announced that it is making its “Pick Up” click and collect service available nationally across Australia.
In a statement, Woolworths said that it is "the first and only supermarket to provide such a service nationally with over 670 stores added as collection points in the last month alone, and more
than 4,500 personal shoppers picking and packing customer groceries in stores.”
With the new 670 stores coming onboard, the Pick Up service is now available in 970 stores nationally.
An increased number of clients use the service
The service is available seven days a week, and it is free for orders over $30.
Customers can select the time when their order is ready to Pick Up (order by 11 am for same day collection after 4 pm or by 11 pm for next day collection after 11 am). Further, they can choose
from a range of flexible options including drive up, drive through, as well as using remote lockers and specific parking bays where groceries are delivered to the car.
Currently, each store has a set number of Pick Up orders available for customers per day. As more and more customers start using the service, Woolworths says it will monitor the performance,
available collection windows and capacity, and customer feedback to ensure Pick Up offers “the best possible experience” for every user.
Fighting off Amazon
The announcement comes as analysts predict Amazon will be operational in Australia by Christmas. However, experts have previously said Australia's big two supermarkets, Woolworths and Coles are
relatively well-placed to fight the global retailer, having many physical locations close to consumers.
In addition, the major supermarkets already have the scale and logistical strength to expand their online capabilities through options such as click-and-collect.
Nol van Fenema
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