7-Eleven offers a delivery service in the US. The products are not just convenience lines such as drinks, donuts, bananas, candy and similar. No, the range includes frozen food, stationery, gadgets, personal care, health and more categories. The range is quite broad.
Offering delivery makes sense in this era of considerably disrupted retail and in a time when people have been educated to have prepared meals delivered to them for minimal fees with minimal fuss, through App access, like 7-Eleven offers.
To get people engaged, the priest three deliveries are delivered free.
The service is broadly available, including in cities smaller than some Australian cities:
The App was launched mid last year and I am told the uptake has been terrific and let to market expansion for the offer.
As has happened with Uber Eats, retailers in the convenience space will need to be aware and engaged.
This move shifts what it means to be convenience. Location is not necessarily everything.
Location may not be everything, but the arrival of these services will most affect those in poor locations with marginal profitability levels. As with newsagencies, where those in sub prime locations are unsaleable and closing.
7-Eleven must be poised to do similar in Australia. They became the majority investor in Tipple last year. Thus leapfrogging the software development stage. Tipple hasn’t arrived in Adelaide yet, but doing well in Melbourne.