Auchan Retail Portugal is investing €30 million between now and 2025 to improve its e-commerce services.
The retailer's plans were revealed to daily newspaper Jornal de Negocios by Solange Farinha, Auchan Retail Portugal's director of customer experience and digital.
They come after the retailer invested €1 million earlier this year to launch a new online platform and website, provided by Salesforce and incorporating artificial intelligence functionalities.
"The website has a capacity to learn, based on customer searches, which will be reflected in subsequent uses," Farinha told the paper.
Improved Online Order Processing
At the moment, online orders are accessible within two hours, both under 'click and collect' and home delivery options.
However, from the beginning of 2022, home deliveries and in-store collections will be available in 30 minutes, according to the retailer.
Also on the agenda is the creation of a network collection points throughout the country, through partnerships.
'Dark Store' Openings
Auchan Retail Portugal has also suggested that it could transform part of its physical store portfolio into 'dark stores', i.e. stores closed to the public that serve online orders. The retailer already operates a number of 'dark store' facilities as part of existing warehouses.
Farinha predicts that some shops will have their sales area reduced, to make way for 'dark store' capabilities, including large stores as well as neighbourhood stores in city centres.
However, he underlined that the investment in digital will not mean a reduction in investment in physical shops.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Branislav Pekic. For more Retail news click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
