According to Mercato, it has created an easy-to-use e-commerce platform that gives online shoppers access to inventory of hundreds of independent, neighborhood grocers servicing more than 3,948 zip codes.
Mercato Green has two membership plans: The Neighborhood plan, which covers deliveries up to three miles from the store, and the City plan, which covers up to 10 miles. Members have over 363,089 products from 646 independent stores to choose from including seasonal produce, international specialty dishes, hand-cut meats, and ‘catch-of-day’ seafood.
Mercato is able to fulfill online orders by partnering with online delivery apps such as DoorDash, which operate in more than 4,000 cities in the US and Canada.
Shopping local…online
As online grocery sales climb to a projected $29.7bn by 2021 led by Amazon and Walmart, according to Statista, the options to shop online at local grocery stores are limited. While shopping local has become increasingly popular among consumers shopping at brick-and-mortar retail, many consumers are finding traditional grocery shopping to be a hassle when they add up the time spent parking, waiting in checkout lines, and loading groceries, said Mercato.
“We all lead busy lives and time is often our most constrained resource. A simple trip to the grocery store can take an hour, or more, and many people go multiple times a week," said Mercato founder and CEO Bobby Brannigan.
“We’re making local grocery delivery more accessible to everyone. Mercato Green helps reduce the time people spend on grocery shopping and increases access to these great stores. Since the monthly cost of the program is around the price of a single grocery delivery, it’s a great value as well.”
