Pick n Pay Online expands range of non-food items for delivery

This follows the recent announcement by Minister Ebrahim Patel that all goods may now be sold online, with the exception of liquor and tobacco products.

Delivery of heavier items is available in all major cities nationally and 'click and collect' lets customers purchase their items online and collect their order from any hypermarket.

SA govt allows the sale of (almost) all goods online

15 May 2020

Spike in new customer registrations

Pick n Pay reports that since the end of March 2020, its online shop has had more than 144,000 new customers registerations - 8x more registrations than the previous year. Pick n Pay Online also experienced a 200% increase in active transacting online customers during the period.

Last year the retailer enhanced its online offering, which included changing its logistics partner and investing in a dedicated online customer services team. Jessica Knight, head of Pick n Pay Online, says that this helped them rapidly increased the online shop’s capacity and reach to meet the needs of many new customers who have turned to online shopping since the country went into lockdown.

“We have increased our delivery slots for our online shop, which has meant customers can now get a slot within a few days of placing their order. Customers can currently get a delivery slot within three to five days, depending on the area."

Satisfying demand during the Covid-19 crisis - guidelines for SA's e-tailers

Dr Nicole Cunningham  18 May 2020

Knight adds they are seeing a high percentage of returning customers. “This shows how many first-time online shoppers are really enjoying the ease and convenience of online shopping. We’ve also made it very easy to shop online, for instance, customers have their own personalised ‘aisle’ with their favourite items and they can create a shopping list for regular purchases.”

Pick n Pay also leveraged its partnership with the Bottles app to launch its 'Grocery Essentials same-day delivery service. This was done within days of the lockdown being announced and they now pick from over 95 stores across the country. This extended reach has helped the retailer deliver to areas previously outside its delivery network, such as Port Elizabeth, Soweto and Diepkloof.

Purchasing trends

Commenting on the trends Pick n Pay is seeing with customers using their online delivery options during lockdown, Knight says, “Our average PnP online shop customer will place a larger order through our website and these are usually weekly or monthly shops to restock core grocery items, and cleaning or hygiene products. Our ‘on-demand’ customers, placing orders through the Bottles app, generally shop more frequently and use the same-day delivery to top up on essential items and fresh produce.”

Many of Pick n Pay’s franchise stores are still offering ‘Click Direct’ which encourages customers to email or WhatsApp their orders directly to the store, for collection or delivery.