An Internet umbrella has been put up this week in a bid to protect new e-retail ventures from the lashings of the sector’s storm. As just-food.com readers will know, over the last few months several prominent e-tailers have sunk under the weight of financial underperformance and logistical costs, but the latest home groceries site, www.beebeep.com, says it is only pooling resources into the local neighbourhood.
Recent research conducted by NOP claimed that 65% of people want to shop at their local stores on the Internet, and this, explains BeeBeep.com’s creators is what the site is responding to. It acts as a portal for the local high street, letting trusted local stores respond to nearby customers, minimising the well publicised problems of the last mile and already gaining the support of the Spar and Londis chains.
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Currently undergoing a trial in South West London, the site is hoping to prove a successful blueprint for “e-fulfillment” expansion throughout the UK and Europe early next year. Marketing director Neal Sussman explains: “We are working with extremely proactive retailers who recognise the benefits that joining the Internet revolution can bring.”
Beebeep.com will be hoping it is entering the fray late enough to learn from the mistakes made by some of the major online retailers – yet early enough to steal a march on some of its local competitors for consumer food spend.
