Waitrose is to offer more online delivery slots than it has ever done before this Christmas, so UK shoppers can “get everything they need for a seamless festive celebration”.
To support the expected high demand from “organised shoppers”, Waitrose is making more than 10,000 additional delivery slots this year for arrival from 20 to 24 December.
“We know how important Christmas is to our food-loving customers, and getting their festive food shop booked early brings real peace of mind,” said Laura Burbedge, director of online for Waitrose.
“By releasing a record number of delivery slots this year, we’re making it easier than ever for households to access our fantastic Christmas range – delivered straight to their doors when they need it most,” she added.
The supermarket said it marked a “major increase in festive delivery capacity” compared with previous years.
Customers can log on to Waitrose.com or use the Waitrose app from midnight tonight (September 30) to secure their delivery slot.
Shoppers will be able to choose from flexible delivery dates spanning the festive week, giving them “hassle-free access” to Waitrose’s essentials and Christmas “show-stoppers”.
Waitrose will be hoping the golden quarter and Christmas will allow it to maintain momentum after a positive first half of the year, during which online sales have grown by 11%.
Online customer satisfaction scores had also improved over the period, Waitrose said.
Searches for festive food on Waitrose.com have soared over the past month, it revealed. Searches for ‘Christmas Cake Kit’ are up 540% on last month; ‘Christmas chocolate’ up 270% and ‘Christmas cake’ up 83%.
Last month, Waitrose announced it was permanently extending its quick commerce delivery hours at some stores in the wake of positive results during this summer’s World Cup.
The retailer initially extended its delivery hours at more than 50 stores so that football fans could access rapid delivery options in and around many of the late night and early morning kick-off using Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat.
It is now making those extensions permanent at 35 stores. Most of these stores now fulfil orders until midnight, while some of the stores in highest demand will offer deliveries 24/7.
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