Brands are trying to get to your door in 15 minutes or less
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Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios
The dream of instant commerce is getting closer to reality — not necessarily because technology is improving, one company says, but simply by being nearer to more people for faster delivery.
Why it matters: We're used to instant gratification in our entertainment and human interaction — but still have to wait for our stuff, unless we're willing to deal with the burden of getting up off the couch and getting it ourselves.
- That's changing.
Driving the news: Last month Disney took the wraps off a partnership with delivery service Gopuff, offering custom mini-stores tied to its properties.
- An on-screen QR code takes viewers to the storefront, letting them purchase select items within 30 seconds for delivery in as little as 15 minutes, depending on their location.
Zoom out: 25 years ago, the dream of both TV and Internet commerce was one-click shopping — hit a button on a remote and automatically buy what you saw on screen for immediate delivery.
- There was even an industry shorthand for the technological and commercial goal: "Rachel's sweater," as in, being able to click and immediately buy the clothes Jennifer Aniston's character wore on the then-smash hit "Friends."
- Society hasn't quite achieved that dream, yet, but it's closer.
What they're saying: "I can go from seeing an advertisement to having it in your hand in literally 15, 20 minutes," Gopuff co-CEO Yakir Gola tells Axios.
- The company's hundreds of "micro-fulfillment centers" cover most major U.S. cities.
- They're positioned as a source for "everyday essentials," Gola says; top products include eggs, water and paper towels.
Yes, but: Brands are starting to drive demand, too, either in the form of the Disney deal, or in white-label arrangements where Gopuff handles back-end fulfillment.
- Starbucks has even piloted a program — since expanded more broadly — where baristas it trains make drinks inside Gopuff fulfillment centers for rapid delivery.
The intrigue: A number of retailers are piloting programs with drones and delivery robots, aiming to get products faster from store to door.
- Gopuff's Gola says the company's gone a different route, with internal development of software and AI tools to optimize how deliveries are batched and dispatched.
- Others have the same idea. Walmart — the world's largest retailer — says it is also using AI plans to speed up delivery times, and plans to bring 3-hour delivery to 95% of U.S. households by the end of 2025.
The bottom line: We're getting closer to an era where it's faster for people to bring things to you than for you to go get it yourself.
Kelly Tyko contributed.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with details on the Starbucks partnership.
