Albertsons enables tracking of online grocery orders

Albertsons Cos. is implementing location-sharing technology to give customers a real-time view of the status of their online grocery delivery or pickup orders.

Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons said Monday that the solution, called Glympse, will enable customers across a range of its supermarket banners to opt-in to receive text or email updates during the online grocery fulfillment process. Once orders are on the way, customers are sent a link to a live map of their delivery truck and the exact time of delivery.

The service is available now for delivery orders at Albertsons, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Randalls, Tom Thumb and Pavilions stores, Albertsons said. Customers choose whether to opt-in to the service upon completing their online grocery order.

“We want to make our e-commerce experience as simple and transparent as possible,” Narayan Iyengar, senior vice president of digital and e-commerce at Albertsons Cos., said in a statement. “Our partnership with Glympse makes it even easier for customers to get their groceries however and whenever they want.”

Albertsons said it currently offers online grocery delivery in 11 of the nation’s top 15 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the United States. The retailer operates more than 1,000 home delivery trucks from approximately 2,000 stores. The Glympse functionality isn’t available for orders fulfilled by Instacart.  

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Starting this spring, Albertsons also plans to pilot Glympse technology in select markets now offering the retailer’s Drive Up & Go click-and-collect program. The opt-in service will notify customers when their order is ready and let them share their location so store associates can bring their orders to their car exactly when they arrive.

Drive Up & Go is available at more than 250 Albertsons Cos. stores, and the company said it plans to expand the grocery pickup service this year.

“Albertsons Cos. understands that convenience is a requirement for providing the highest level of customer service for their delivery and Drive Up & Go programs,” according to Chris Ruff, president and CEO of Seattle-based Glympse. “We are excited to be working with Albertsons Cos. to help them expand their leadership in food and drug retail through our real-time location and customer engagement platform.”

Overall, Albertsons Cos. operates about 2,300 supermarkets in 35 states and the District of Columbia under such banners as Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Sav-On, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw's, Star Market, United Supermarkets, Market Street, Amigos, Haggen and United Express.

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