SOUTH AFRICA – Checkers, a consumer goods retailer owned by Shoprite, has launched its on-demand one-hour grocery delivery service app, Sixty60, after months of testing.

Billed as SA’s first 60-minute grocery delivery service from a supermarket chain, the mobile app allows users to shop for groceries and drinks from the comfort of their homes, with the delivery arriving within an hour from the time of order. 

Users can track the status of their order and delivery in real-time.

The service launches as SA’s retailers battle it out by running early discount deals, to gain the most customers during the Black Friday/ Monday shopping period.

Checkers says the free service is part of its strategy to response to customers’ increasing demand for hyper-convenience.

“Sixty60 will offer unrivalled convenience because it does all the hard work for you,” says Neil Schreuder, chief of innovation and strategy at Shoprite Checkers.

“In our time-pressed society, providing consumers with a swift, on-demand grocery delivery service is like giving them back time: today’s most precious commodity. The name Sixty60 the service’s main ambition: for customers to order groceries in 60 seconds and have them delivered in as little as 60 minutes.” It said in a statement.

Following months of alpha testing among Checkers employees, the app is now being piloted to the public in select locations in Western Cape (Durbanville, Willowbridge, Okavango Crossing, Rondebosch, Kloof Street and Sea Point) and Sandton (Melrose and Bryanston).

Products on the Sixty60 app retail at the same prices found in Checkers stores. Delivery is free during the pilot period, according to the retailer.

Sixty60’s beta app can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play Store. The plaform meets competition from other on-demand grocery delivery services in the local market including WumDrop, OneCart, Grocerease, Magic App and Stockup.

Checkers is a Fast-Moving Consumer Goods FMCG retailer owned by Shoprite that operates in Southern Africa. 

The retailer currently has 37 Checkers Hypers and 202 Checkers supermarkets operating in Botswana, South Africa and Namibia. 

The supermarket chain focuses more strongly on fresh produce and offers a wider range of choice food items to a more affluent clientele.