Dive Brief:

• The Giant Company announced on Monday the launch of the Ship2Me online marketplace, becoming the latest Ahold Delhaize banner in the U.S. to roll out the service, according to an emailed press release.
• Ship2Me, which Giant Food first debuted at the end of last year, sells pet supplies, health and beauty products, home decor, snacks, candy and other household items. The online marketplace is now available through the Giant and Martin's e-commerce platforms.  
• The Ship2Me expansion reflects the grocery industry's growing push into bundled online shopping experiences.

Dive Insight:

With Ship2Me, Ahold Delhaize is looking to expand the assortment of its digital aisles beyond traditional grocery and entice shoppers online with more of a one-stop-shop experience. 

Ahold Delhaize executives have said the retailer's endless-aisles service will initially carry around 40,000 products, but could reach as many as 100,000, and that the offering is a way to capture the higher margins of general merchandise. Ship2Me can provide the Dutch grocery company more leverage as it competes with retailers like Walmart, Kroger and Amazon, which also offer general merchandise online alongside groceries. 

Customers can shop for items through Ship2Me at the same time that they buy grocery and household items for delivery or pickup.

Letting customers check out from a single cart for multiple orders is one of the ways several grocers are looking to streamline online shopping. Walmart, Target and Ahold Delhaize are among the retailers letting customers build virtual baskets with a mix of fulfillment methods. In 2020, Walmart consolidated its grocery and general merchandise online aisles on its app.

Giant and Martin's shoppers can get Ship2Me items with free standard shipping, which takes between four to nine days, and there is no order minimum, according to the announcement. For certain sellers, shoppers may be able to pay a fee for faster arrival, with The Giant Company noting that shipping options and fees vary depending on the seller and product. 

The Giant Company's website says "thousands" of items are available on the Ship2Me marketplace and that new products and sellers will continue to get added. 

Members of The Giant Company's Choice Rewards program can earn points on Ship2Me purchases, but can't redeem points for Ship2Me items.