Bed Bath & Beyond partners with Instacart, Shipt for same-day delivery

Dive Brief:

Bed Bath & Beyond on Tuesday introduced same-day delivery at its namesake stores and BuyBuy Baby in preparation for the forthcoming holiday season. The company has partnered with Shipt and Instacart to provide deliveries for home, infant and holiday essentials, the company said in a press release.
Consumers can access Bed Bath & Beyond and BuyBuy Baby products on Shipt and Instacart's websites and mobile apps. The new partnerships allows the company to reach more than 80% of U.S. households, according to the company statement.
Customers can pay a $4.99 fee for same-day delivery on orders over $39. Current Shipt customers can still access free delivery on orders over $35 when they shop through the Shipt platform, the company said.

Dive Insight:

Bed Bath & Beyond noted its introduction of same-day delivery comes after it launched contactless curbside pickup and buy online, pick up in-store earlier this year. In May, the retailer shared details about its expanded store fulfillment efforts.

Other retailers have updated their omnichannel experiences since the onset of COVID-19 in hopes of balancing shopping convenience with safety. Google recently added new search features to help shoppers find retailers with curbside and in-store pickup options. Plus, J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus and Lowe's have added curbside or in-store pickup options for customers.

Research suggests that consumers will adopt these omnichannel offerings for the upcoming holiday season. A survey from BlackFriday.com and SurveyGizmo found that half of the survey respondents plan to use curbside or contactless pick up during the holiday season. With ongoing concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic looming, curbside pickup may remain a staple in retail after the problem subsides.

Meanwhile, Bed Bath & Beyond is the most recent retailer that Instacart has added to its lineup. Other companies, including Sephora, Staples and Rite Aid, have also turned to the platform for its same-day delivery network.

As Bed Bath & Beyond makes changes to its omnichannel operations, it has also shaken things up with its corporate leadership and brick-and-mortar store strategy. In July, the company announced its plans to shutter about 200 stores over the next two years, and the following month, the company announced layoffs of 2,800 employees, though the company had already planned some job cuts before the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, the company appointed Mark Tritton as its new CEO last year and brought in a new COO, CFO and chief merchandising officer following the departure of multiple C-suite executives.