Lidl Launches New Lidl Express Format to Capture Click and Collect Market Share
BERLIN, GERMANY - A new retail format is helping Lidl ring in the new year. Dubbed Lidl Express, the latest iteration of the Germany-based retailer seeks to streamline each store’s offerings to fit in a small format, but allow for an expanded inventory to be ordered online for pick up.
The pilot Lidl Express is located in the company’s home country of Germany, in a locality of Berlin, and, according to the Lebensmittel Zeitung, contains several express cash desks sans conveyor belts, a small selection of produce, a bakery counter, and a deli counter.
This is a significantly smaller offering than shoppers will find in the typical Lidl store, but the twist is, each shopping experience is complemented by online ordering and in-store pickup. This way, Lidl customers will be able to order limited shelf-life products like certain types of fruit and vegetables, milk, and more online, and not have to shop around for them in store.
As reported by Business Insider, Lidl began selling groceries online in Germany just two months ago, but the company sees adding a click and collect option helping to possibly boost this portion of its business significantly.
As you may have noticed from your avid reading of AndNowUKnow’s retail news, online grocery shopping has made huge jumps in growth over 2016. Some, however, still have qualms with the idea of not being able to physically pick out items like fresh produce for themselves.
Business Insider suggests that click and collect could be one of the more effective ways to combat this common issue, providing an in-person contact to allow shoppers to address issues before actually leaving the store. And as a further comfort, having an additional inventory of stock offers Lidl the chance to potentially cross-sell any items that weren’t included in the original order.
While Lidl Express is currently only in Germany, a successful pilot may lead to not only Lidl Express locations in the U.S., but potentially an uprising of similarly formatted competitors. Keep watching AndNowUKnow as we keep our eyes on this and other growing retail trends.
