H-E-B launches Favor Express Delivery with two-hour turnaround

With many customers turning to digital channels during the coronavirus pandemic, H-E-B has expanded its online grocery options with the launch of Favor Express Delivery service.

H-E-B said Thursday that Express Delivery allows shoppers to order grocery essentials online and have them delivered to their home in two hours or less from any H-E-B, Central Market or Joe V’s store in Texas. The fast-track service from Favor, H-E-B’s e-commerce subsidiary, carries no minimum order requirement or membership fee.

Customers can order up to 25 items from a selected list of groceries and essentials — such as dairy, meat, produce and beer and wine, among other items — and customize their desired sizes and quantities, H-E-B said. A Favor delivery driver, known as a “Runner,” will contact the customer if any product substitutions are necessary.

All deliveries will be left at the customer’s doorstep, enabling a contactless experience in line with social distancing guidelines, H-E-B noted. Customers will receive a notification when their order has been delivered.

“This new service is another way H-E-B and Favor are working together to respond to unprecedented demand during this crisis to get Texans the essentials they need, when they need them,” H-E-B Chief Digital Officer and Favor CEO Jag Bath said in a statement. “We continue increasing H-E-B Curbside and Home Delivery availability for customers who want to place orders in advance for same day, next day or later. And now, with Express Delivery, Texans can get two-hour delivery on up to 25 items when they need an immediate option.”

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Express Delivery from H-E-B, Central Market and Joe V’s is available seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. through the Favor app or favordelivery.com. For a limited time, Express Delivery includes a $4.98 two-hour delivery fee (regularly $9.95) and $10 tip, which goes to the Runner, who shops for and delivers the groceries, H-E-B said.

Earlier this month, to help out customers amid the COVID-19 crisis, H-E-B and Favor doubled their food and grocery delivery coverage across Texas. Within an expedited one-week rollout, the San Antonio-based retailer launched delivery in 75 new markets and expanded the service coverage in current markets.

H-E-B said the delivery expansion also enabled the company to offer its Senior Support Program at all H-E-B, Central Market and Joe V’s stores. The program allows customers age 60 and older to order groceries and essentials online or via phone. Seniors can place same-day grocery orders through the Easy Ordering & Delivery website daily from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Senior Support Line phone ordering service is available daily at (833) 397-0080 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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H-E-B and Favor also are extending the waiver of delivery service fees for the Senior Support Program through the end of May. These orders will only require a $10 Runner tip, the company said. Texans, too, can help make deliveries more affordable for seniors by donating to the Senior Support Fund at favordelivery.com/SeniorSupportFund or after placing an order in the Favor app. All contributions are applied directly to seniors’ orders to ensure they have lower-cost home delivery during the pandemic, according to H-E-B.

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