Southern grocery chain rolls out curbside pickup offering

Rouses Markets is launching a branded curbside pickup solution, which includes a consumer app.

The regional Deep South grocer, which operates across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, is partnering with eGrowcery to go to market with its own e-commerce solution for curbside pickup. Based on the eGrowcery e-commerce platform, the Rouses curbside pickup offering includes a Rouses Markets shopping app, which customers can download on the App Store or on Google Play.

Customers can now shop, place an order, and choose a curbside pickup time through the app or on the Rouses Markets website. There is no curbside pickup fee on orders over $35, and shoppers pay the same price for groceries purchased via curbside pickup that they pay in Rouses Markets stores.

Rouses Markets, which has already been offering personal shopping and delivery services that enable customers to shop online and get deliveries in as little as an hour, has looked to expand its omnichannel services since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fall 2020, the company partnered with Deuce Drone to test an unmanned grocery delivery pilot program.

The pilot demonstrated Deuce Drone’s Aerial Drone Delivery Interface System (ADDIS) at a Rouses Market store in Mobile, Ala. ADDIS includes automated operation of the drone’s landing, recharging and package handling systems. All portions of the drone and the related activities of ADDIS meet or exceed federal, state, and local regulations and codes.

The Rouses pilot was unusual in that to date, publicized drone delivery tests have involved national retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS. Major technology platforms including Google and Uber, as well as global delivery providers such as UPS and FedEx, have also also involved in piloting and developing on-demand drone delivery services. 

[Read more: Three predictions for retail drone delivery]

“We continue to invest in new partnerships and technologies like eGrowcery to give our customers the very best shopping experience, both in store or online,” said Donny Rouse, CEO, Rouses Markets. “With eGrowcery, our own team members, the people who know our stores and selection better than anyone else, hand-select every product ordered for curbside pickup. It’s like having your favorite Rouses team member as your own personal shopper.”

“It’s always great when we can work with a quality brand like Rouses Markets,” said Patrick Hughes, CEO of eGrowcery. “It’s even better watching them bring their years of retail expertise to the table. We are ecstatic to do our part by empowering their personal shoppers with our technology, ensuring the highest quality of product selection in the process all while helping them become more connected to their shoppers.”

Headquartered in Thibodaux, La., family-owned Rouses Markets is one of the largest independent grocers in the United States It has more than 7,000 employees serving shoppers across more than 60 stores in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.