February 14, 2022 | GroceryGeniuses Blog

Weee welcomes Jon Chu, an American filmmaker, as its Chief Creative Officer

GroceryGeniuses February 14, 2022

Weee, a California-based online grocer offering Asian and Latin American grocery essentials, has announced the joining of Jon Chu, a filmmaker, to its creative team as a Chief Creative Officer. Jon Chu, maker of Crazy Rich Asians and In The Heights, will be managing the in-house creative team of Weee. The grocer will celebrate the Asian ethnicity and enhance the shopping experience with this move. The retailer has received more than $400 million in funding to date and has more than 10,000 fresh and shelf-stable items. Customers can shop in any of six languages using the app: English, Chinese (simplified or traditional), Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean or Spanish. To read more, visit WinsightGroceryBusiness

Shoppable Livestreaming space is getting crowded with big names like YouTube and TikTok

GroceryGeniuses February 14, 2022

In the lockdown years, shoppable live streams were certainly the hot topics, and people loved joining them from the comfort of their lounge. As per Coresight Research, the U.S. Livestream commerce market is expected to hit $11 billion by the end of 2021 and $25 billion by 2023. Young brands like Whatnot and NTWRK raised $220 million and $50 million respectively over the past year. Firework, a Livestream service providing platform, signed deals with many famous names, including Muji and Albertsons. Big tech names like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are overcrowding the space, and startups are recruiting more sellers and investing heavily in marketing to compete with them. On the product side, Whatnot is developing person-to-person messaging and more interactive content like games and product discovery features. To read more, visit ModernRetail

As advertising costs grow, Pet retailer Bark signs a partnership deal with REI

GroceryGeniuses February 14, 2022

Bark, a pet retailer and parent company of Barkbox, has signed a partnership deal with REI and similar wholesale retailers. The pet brand will access the new consumer base and get nationwide recognition through these retail collaborations. In 2020, the pet care industry saw a boom. Intelligence firm 1010data reported the revenue for the industry grew 39% during its third-quarter earnings in November, to $120.2 million. However, the cost of media advertising also rose, with customer acquisition costs going up 7% quarter-over-quarter. Bark has about 1.2M subscribers and has teamed up with retail giants such as Costco, Target and has over 23,000 brick-and-mortar locations. Like other startups, Bark went public via a SPAC in June last year, after its inception in 2021. To read more, visit ModernRetail

UK-based Zapp has raised $200M in a Series B funding round

GroceryGeniuses February 14, 2022

Zapp, a UK-based instant grocery delivery startup, has raised $200M in a Series B round. Lightspeed Venture Partners, 468 Capital, and BroadLight Capital, among others, participated in the investment round to help Zapp raise funds. Customers can use the app to quickly order and get drinks, snacks, groceries and other essential items delivered within no time. The company offers delivery services and has Zappstores (small fulfilment centres) across Bristol, Amsterdam, Manchester, Cambridge, and Rotterdam. Zapp is experimenting with the soft launch of its services in Paris and will expand to other European nations soon. The startup will use the funds to upgrade its technology and customer service. To read more, visit CBInsights