Dive Brief:
- Alongside other retailers enhancing their mobile strategy, At Home has launched the At Home Mobile App and expanded its same-day delivery service to all of its stores, the company announced on Monday.
- The home decor retailer has partnered with DoorDash and Roadie to offer same-day deliveries to its customers, according to the announcement. The retailer has more than 255 stores in 40 states.
- Through its new mobile app, customers can receive personalized product recommendations, scan products in stores to view product reviews and availability, access their coupons and track their progress toward VIP status.
Dive Insight:
The app launch comes at a challenging time for At Home, which has experienced difficulties alongside other home furnishings retailers as the demand for the category wanes.
At Home has undergone an ownership change and faces questions about the health of its business. In May 2021, the retailer announced that private equity firm Hellman & Friedman would acquire the company for $2.8 billion in a deal that would take the company off the stock market. Last month, S&P Global Ratings downgraded the credit rating of At Home Group to B- from B due to its lackluster sales and cash flow, growing freight costs and declining consumer demand. The ratings firm issued a negative outlook for the retailer, indicating the potential for an additional downgrade.
The new initiatives come ahead of the holiday season, a critical period for retailers. The partnerships with DoorDash and Roadie expand the retailer’s same-day delivery options, a popular service during the holidays, to all store locations. In March 2020, the retailer tapped last-mile delivery company Pickup to offer contactless next-day delivery to local customers.
“We’re thrilled to be adding the mobile app and expanding same-day delivery options just in time for holiday shopping,” Richard Armour, At Home’s chief digital officer, said in a statement. “They are both key components of our continued journey to reduce friction for our customers across all our channels. We have a big focus on speed and are committed to providing customers with multiple ways to get what they need the same day, whether it be through buy online pick up in stores or same-day delivery.”
As At Home makes its mobile app debut, others in the space are investing in additional technology for home shopping. In February, Pinterest unveiled a Try On for Home Decor tool, an augmented reality feature that allows customers to visualize home furnishings before purchasing them. In a similar move, Walmart announced two AR tools in June, one of which allowed at-home customers to preview furniture. That same month, Ingka Group, the largest Ikea franchisee, debuted its furniture visualization tool to allow customers to arrange their spaces with their smartphones and computers virtually.
