Albertsons Brings Digital Marketplace to Life

In an effort to make hard-to-find products more accessible to a wider consumer base, Albertsons Cos. has launched its Albertsons Marketplace site in a partnership with global solutions provider Mirakl. The site, which Albertsons announced it would build earlier this year, includes specialty food items as well as beauty and wellness products from a network of third-party sellers. It is online now at moreforu.com.

With a focus on natural, organic, ethnic and alternative categories, the new marketplace serves as an expansion of Albertsons’ initiative to enhance its ability to address trending markets and offer products that best appeal to its customers. Albertsons in July launched a similar service, O Organics Market, via Instacart to provide a virtual grocery delivery store for its private brands and better-for-you items.

The new platform will provide the Boise-based retailer with shopper data to identify shifting consumer trends, regionally specific shopping needs and new food trends, allowing Albertsons to rapidly respond through a catered product assortment, officials said. The site includes collections of items under categories such as “Better with Bacon” and “It’s Cookie O’Clock.” Another page highlights “seller stories.”

“At Albertsons Cos., we’re making rapid strides to build digital capabilities that serve our customers and show our determination to play a prominent role in the digital food and wellness ecosystem,” said Narayan Iyengar, SVP of digital marketing and e-commerce, in a statement. “The online marketplace provides our customers access to hard-to-find items, increases exposure for partner products and gives us critical data regarding demand for emerging food and wellness trends.”

Related:Albertsons Cuts Q2 Losses but Comp Outlook Dims

With a network of third-party sellers, the new marketplace also serves as a platform for smaller businesses to showcase their products on a wider scale, while the proprietary data can provide insight into regions where they might consider investing in building distribution.

“By choosing the online marketplace model, Albertsons Cos. is truly distinguishing itself from the competition and Mirakl is honored to be working alongside Albertsons on this journey,” said Adrien Nussenbaum, co-founder and U.S. CEO of Mirakl. “By fully utilizing the capabilities of the Mirakl Marketplace Platform, Albertsons is set up for marketplace success.”