Ace Hardware Partners With Uber Eats for Delivery
Products from Ace Hardware are now available on Uber Eats nationwide as the hardware cooperative becomes the latest retailer to dive into on-demand delivery services and Uber Eats works to recast itself from the "Eats" part of its brand.
The two companies announced the partnership Tuesday, saying it would allow customers who already shop locally at Ace to have greater access to fast, flexible solutions for getting products delivered to their doors. Ace already has a partnership with DoorDash, launched in September, for on-demand delivery from over 4,000 Ace locations.
Meanwhile, Uber Eats used the announcement to emphasize it's not to be thought of as just a food delivery app.
“Consumers are increasingly turning to Uber Eats for more than just meals," said Hashim Amin, head of grocery and retail for Uber in North America. "They rely on us for a variety of essentials, from paint supplies, to mulch for the garden, to the tools needed to kick off a weekend yard cleanup.”
Total Retail's Take: As more and more retailers partner with services such as DoorDash, Instacart and Uber Eats to offer last-mile delivery, it signals a few things: one, it's no longer an option to NOT provide delivery as customers demand convenience, real-time tracking and flexible scheduling and, two, the easiest and most inexpensive way to offer it is through a third-party service.
Home improvement and hardware retailers believe they have a space in this landscape because they capture the emergency needs and project-based shopping at a convenience. Home improvement has historically lagged in e-commerce compared to categories like apparel and electronics, but this signals a shift. Merchants in the category are tailoring services to consumers who don't want to wait to tackle a project. With Ace specifically, it also reinforces the local convenience that the retailer-owned cooperative prides itself on.
We're also seeing a growing competition between the three big delivery services: DoorDash was the first to move into non-restaurant categories and has the strongest local commerce positioning, while Uber Eats is playing catchup to differentiate itself from the food category while leveraging its larger existing logistics network and cross-platform demand. Instacart, meanwhile, has firmed up its place as the grocery and general merchandise delivery app.
