November 7, 2021 | GroceryGeniuses Blog

Kroger and Google help Nuro, an autonomous delivery maker, raise $600M

GroceryGeniuses November 7, 2021

Nuro, an autonomous delivery vehicle developer, has raised about $600 million in a Series D financing round. Investors including giant companies such as Kroger and Google led the massive funding round. Nuro has already sealed a 5-year strategic deal with Google Cloud to advance its self-driving vehicles. The autonomous delivery vehicle provider is expanding its no-human delivery services and teaming up with several retailers. Nuro will spend about $40 million on the new facilities located in Nevada, US.

Farmstead beefs up its e-commerce tools, lets other grocers leverage them

GroceryGeniuses November 7, 2021

E-grocer Farmstead is growing its e-commerce capabilities and tools package. The platform will now allow other grocers access to warehouse space and “multiple” last-mile delivery services along with its Grocery OS, a grocery delivery-management software. Farmstead claims that a grocer can build a dark store in about two weeks and establish an e-commerce presence with these tools. The e-grocer further guarantees that retailers can offer two-hours delivery within a 50-mile radius. The software is capable of generating profits for retailers without charging delivery fees.

Publix Super Market and Instacart become partners to set up a virtual convenience store

GroceryGeniuses November 7, 2021

Publix Super Markets and Instacart, a delivery platform, have teamed up to launch a virtual convenience store delivering groceries in 30-minutes. Publix Quick Picks will be available across the grocer’s entire seven-state market area. Customers can shop from the grocer’s vast assortment of fresh groceries, pantry and household essentials, meals and other products for prompt delivery. Grocery selection and delivery speed make this joint venture a unique virtual experience for customers. Instacart’s Convenience Hub, a digital marketplace that makes convenience shopping simpler, and delivery.publix.com will offer these products.

Indian grocery delivery startup Zepto bags $60M in an investment round

GroceryGeniuses November 7, 2021

Zepto, a Mumbai-based quick grocery delivery startup, has raised $60 million in the early stages of an investment round. Teenagers Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, who also happened to be Stanford dropouts, founded this startup earlier this year. The startup now has a valuation of $200-$300 Million after this investment. The round was led by Glade Brook Capital, Nexus and Y Combinator, whereas Lachy Groom, Neeraj Arora and Manik Gupta were also amongst the prominent investors. Zepto promises 10-minutes delivery of groceries in India through its web of dark stores.

Ulta Beauty teams up with DoorDash to offer same-day delivery to consumers

GroceryGeniuses November 7, 2021

Ulta Beauty, an American cosmetic brand, has partnered with DoorDash to offer same-day delivery of beauty products. Ulta anticipated that consumers would still demand multiple purchasing options after the nation decided to lift pandemic restrictions. These options include no-contact delivery, curbside pickup and in-store shopping. DoorDash, which is mostly focused on food delivery, will initially deliver beauty essentials to its consumers based in Boston, Chicago, Atlanta and L.A. The partner firms plan to expand delivery to other areas in the future.

QSRs are adopting these five technological solutions to digitize their business processes

GroceryGeniuses November 7, 2021

Fast-food chains are combatting the labour shortage and delayed delivery orders by using the latest tech solutions as per Lightspeed’s 2021 Global State of the Hospitality Industry report. 37% of QSRs stated that technology was a crucial ingredient to their success recipe. Around 50% of the U.S. quick-service restaurants plan to deploy AI and tech in the upcoming 2-3 years. Various QSRs from the restaurant industry are deploying Artificial Intelligence, Drone Delivery, Autonomous Vehicles, Robot Delivery and GPS technology to expedite delivery and augment delivery operations. Panera, El Pollo Loco and Hooters, UberEats and Pizza Huts are amongst the restaurant chains to implement them.