Giant Eagle uses FlyBuy Pickup tech to optimize curbside order fulfillment

With e-grocery continuing to grow, grocer Giant Eagle is taking a new approach to its curbside pickup services. The Pittsburgh-based retailer is launching FlyBuy Pickup, which uses proprietary location data to optimize curbside and in-store pickup. 

Giant Eagle has been particularly busy with curbside orders throughout the pandemic, converting three physical locations to curbside pickup centers that are entirely focused on online orders. With new numbers from Mercatus and Incisiv projecting online grocery sales to hit $250 billion by 2025, Giant Eagle said that it has seen the trend first-hand, with curbside orders increasing exponentially over the past six months. 

The company has directly integrated FlyBuy mobile SDK with its mobile app, creating a branded, frictionless pick-up experience for customers. FlyBuy Pickup technology uses location services only related to the order experience to accurately predict a shopper’s estimated time of arrival and sends alerts to the store, enabling stores to prioritize order fulfillment and reducing wait times while boosting efficiency. 

"The FlyBuy platform helps us better manage the influx of Giant Eagle Curbside Pickup orders being placed," said Valery Ciarimboli, Giant Eagle vice president of e-commerce operations. “Knowing our guests' ETA and receiving live location updates and arrival alerts has transformed our curbside program for both our team members working hard in the store fulfilling orders, and for our guests who want a speedy pickup experience. Having a system in place that enables us to ensure an order is ready and waiting when a customer pulls up is essential to our goal of meeting the increased demand with efficiency."

Radius Networks’ executive vice president of global partnerships Jeff Baskin said that some of the company’s clients have seen curbside pick-up volume increase by more than 500% since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"We are excited to work with such an innovative grocer, like Giant Eagle, who understands the need for short-term solutions to help get through this time, but also has a long-term strategy as the trend for shoppers to move online will continue. FlyBuy Pickup creates efficiencies in-store that allow Giant Eagle to streamline and enhance the guest experience,” Baskin said. “In a post-COVID world, customers will continue to demand shorter wait times and a frictionless experience, which will be a necessity as curbside and BOPIS become the new normal for retailers moving forward."