BrightDrop Launches eCart to Optimize Grocery Delivery

BrightDrop, a subsidiary of General Motors, launched the Trace Grocery to support the sustainable and efficient delivery of groceries purchased online. The eCart can identify, collect and store products and aims to ease the work of grocers by allowing them to put orders directly into the unit. 

“COVID-19 has driven a dramatic increase in online grocery shopping and fulfilling these orders profitably has become a major challenge for retailers of all sizes. With the Trace Grocery, we saw an opportunity to help companies like Kroger tackle these challenges head on,” added Katz.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced consumers to prioritize online channels for acquiring their groceries. Online grocery orders increased over 50 percent in 2020, according to BrightDrop. In Mexico, 32 percent of the consumers plan to increase their online grocery shopping, according to McKinsey. Currently, the Mexican food and beverage e-commerce revenue is US$6.8 billion, as reported by Statista.  

As online buying increases, more delivery vehicles are required. By 2030, without any intervention, it is expected that the number of delivery vehicles in the top 100 cities globally will increase by 36 percent, as reported by the WEF. Consequently, emissions will increase by 32 percent. To face this, BrightDrop has committed to create sustainable solutions for the delivery and logistics industry. 

“As online shopping continues to grow, BrightDrop is committed to developing innovative solutions to help our customers keep pace. The Trace Grocery is a perfect example of this,” said Travis Katz, President and CEO, BrightDrop.

The Trace Grocery offers retailers efficiency and cost-saving benefits. This unit is compatible with most grocers’ online fulfillment apps, allowing users to shop from stores closer to their address. The eCart can decrease time to serve by up to 34 percent. Trace Grocery controls temperature and has different compartments to segment products according to their temperature needs.  Moreover, it secures groceries as only grocers and consumers can access them. Recently, Kroger collaborated in an initial pilot program to improve the client’s experience.

“The Trace Grocery is the latest product in BrightDrop’s portfolio of all-electric hardware and software solutions. After a record-setting commercialization of its first product to market, BrightDrop has already secured more than 25,000 EV production reservations,” says General Motors. 

BrightDrop products entails the BrightDrop Zevo, an all-electric delivery van, the BrightDrop Trace and the BrightDrop Software that helps businesses to manage their fleet.