FreshDirect kicks off two-hour grocery delivery

Online grocer FreshDirect has introduced two-hour, on-demand delivery in parts of New York City.

Dubbed FreshDirect Express, the service enables customers in Manhattan, Brooklyn and sections of Queens to order from a curated selection of products and have them delivered to their door within two hours. Time slots are offered in 60-minute windows.

Customers access the Express service through a toggle on the FreshDirect app or the upper left corner of the FreshDirect website, the Bronx, N.Y.-based company said Thursday.

Citing a surge in demand following the coronavirus outbreak, FreshDirect noted that it also has “significantly increased” same-day and next-day delivery time slots across all boroughs of New York City as well as added capacity in the suburban areas of New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York’s Westchester County and Long Island. The e-grocer, too, has expanded summer delivery to the Hamptons (Long Island) and the Jersey Shore, two of the leading summer getaway and vacation destinations in the metropolitan New York area. 

FreshDirect operates out of its state-of-the-art automated facility in the South Bronx, N.Y.

FreshDirect said it also has been expanding contactless order pickup in high-demand areas, including the Hamptons, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., as well as at its Bronx headquarters. More pickup sites are upcoming. Through the no-fee service, customers can place orders online, choose their desired pickup location and, upon arrival, have their groceries loaded directly into their vehicle’s open trunk or hatch. 

Related:FreshDirect to sell meals from Restaurant Associates

“COVID-19 has changed the way people think about shopping for food and cooking for their families in almost every way imaginable, from the sudden and significant need for grocery delivery to the newfound comfort of homemade meals,” according to FreshDirect CEO David McInerney. “This is truly a time of unprecedented demand, and also of discovery. To address this shift, we have been laser-focused on making the FreshDirect model faster, easier and safer for all. Our team has risen to the task brought on by this significant surge in an extraordinary way, by designing innovative and effective ways to meet our customers’ needs and implementing them in real time.”

Items available for FreshDirect Express delivery include a range of summer seasonal products, such as wild Alaskan salmon, local prime grass-fed steaks, and fruit and vegetables from local farms, along with a wide selection of rosé wines, seasonal beers and spirits.

“We’ve seen a 50% increase in new shoppers converting to loyal customers, and those numbers continue to rise,” McInerney added. “Customers are realizing they can access the best food in the world without a trip to the store.”

Related:Inside FreshDirect’s state-of-the-art campus

FreshDirect delivers directly to customers in selected markets in seven states, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia.

For our most up-to-date coverage, visit the coronavirus homepage.