PORTLAND, Ore. — This story comes from the Portland Business Journal, a KGW news partner. Click here for the full story.
The Portland grocer inked a partnership with retail and internet giant Amazon that gives New Seasons a storefront within Amazon for online shopping and same day Prime delivery. It’s the latest online shopping offering for New Seasons, which logged a huge jump in online shopping volume during the pandemic, said Erica Racette, director of e-commerce at New Seasons.
“The pandemic forced people who were hesitant to (try grocery delivery) to do it,” she said.
And while the numbers have since come down from the highs of pandemic lock-downs, they are still well above pre-2020 figures.
“We want to be where customers shop whenever and wherever, and if they prefer Amazon, if that is where they shop for everything, (we’ll be there),” Racette added.
New Seasons also offers online shopping through its own website and app, powered by the online shopping company Instacart. In April the retailer launched delivery through delivery app DoorDash.
While New Seasons doesn’t share a breakdown of its online vs. in-store business, Racette said online figures quadrupled since before the pandemic. It’s equivalent to a “decent size” store, she said.
For Amazon deliveries, New Seasons employees will do the shopping. For delivery orders through the New Seasons platforms powered by Instacart’s system, that company’s gig workers do the shopping.
Although Amazon owns grocer Whole Foods, Racette said New Seasons isn’t worried about being on the same platform as a competitor.
