If you've been shopping at Costco recently, you might have seen some white delivery vans with the words "Neighborhood" parked in front of the supermarket. These professional food delivery vans and the well-trained buyers are not the employees of Costco, instead they are the staffs from the "Neighborhood" online platform, who provides the instant delivery and merchandising services of grocery store in Shanghai.
Why is Neighborhood the unexpected answer to many households when it comes to grocery shopping? We had a chance to meet Stephen, the founder of “Neighborhood” and learn more about about their unexpected beginnings.
Unexpected beginnings
The story behind the establishment of “Neighborhood” is as direct as its name. Stephen recounts,“In the beginning, the service was designed to solve food shortage problem at the peak of the COVID 19 pandemic.”When the pandemic subsided, the service was terminated naturally and quietly.
However, in the short amount of time Neighborhood was in operation, customers were deeply impressed by our service and was asked to continue. At the same time, we had a request if “Neighborhood” could help buy and delivery some goods from Costco. And with this, a business idea was born.
A full supply chain from buying to delivery
“The success of Neighborhood is that it transcends itself to beyond a platform. It is a service company with a full supply chain support, “Stephen said steadily. He also adds, “unlike other delivery platforms in the market, everyone supporting ‘Neighborhood’ from the delivery vans, the drivers, even the shoppers are all full-time employees of the company. Which is why, when it comes to one-stop service, our customers can feel the sincerity from the team.”
“This business mode can’t be underestimated”, their delivery driver told us, “they will start the day after the careful cleaning work and basic safety check to make sure they are ready for the day. Otherwise, they have a good background management system which can let the whole delivery process be seen, so that they might have a reliable backup and react firstly to the emergency.”
Make shopping easy, transparent and at a fair price
Customers care most about quality, price, and delivery, so we’ve also checked the whole process of the service carefully. Via the Neighborhood WeChat Mini Program, you can choose the goods and pay online.
Stephen ensures that “Neighborhood” takes customer suggestions seriously, and popular goods are carefully researched and selected by Neighborhood’s customer service staff. And once a customer completes the order, the buyer will start choosing the goods. When the delivery driver arrives Costco, they will begin sorting out goods, pack them, and then deliver the goods to their customers.
It is worth mentioning that for some frozen goods, Neighborhood uses special packaging to keep them fresh and cold, and if the distance is far, they will dispatch a cold food chain van for delivery. The price of all the goods is transparent at Costco, including the promotion price. All you need to do on “Neighborhood” is to click the button on your phone and pay. The price you saw is the final price includes the deliver fee and service fee.
Scan the QR code to join the buying group which is full of users who love the quality of Costco products.
A strong presence in the community
At present, "Neighborhood" has already served 5,000 households and over 400 communities in Shanghai. Stephen told us that the number of users on the platform doubles every month in the early days. It is the staff and the camaraderie between the teams that create the success of Neighborhood that can bridge the foreigner community in Shanghai.
What customers say:
How do you know about Neighborhood? How often do you currently shop on this platform?
My friend recommended them to me last year. It is very convenient because I won’t go to Costco and line up by myself. Currently, I use this platform 2-3 times per week.
Compared to other common shopping platforms, what other services impress you by using it?
They have an English service. And the customer service staff Fairy is very approachable and nice. If the goods are not in the Mini Program, you can ask her for help. The delivery staffs will also message me in English. So, I would say it’s convenient for foreigners.
Why do you use Neighborhood so frequently?
I have two children and I live in the international community right now. It is time-consuming for me to go to Costco, which is 4-5 hours each trip. Their service helps me save the time and they will deliver the heavy goods straight home.
Are there any fresh foods among your purchases? For example, how fresh are fruits and vegetables, frozen meats, and food products when they arrive home?
Absolutely, I purchase those things like meat, fruits, and veggies quite often, they will pack with frozen bags and make the freshest selection.
What do you think about the platform's service fee of 10% of the total price of the goods? As a long-time user, what else do you expect from the platform?
Yes. It’s acceptable, for one reason that Costco is really far away from the city and their delivery is very fast.
How do I recommend the goods I want? Are there any other channels I can get if I want to interact with them or other users?
You can follow their official WeChat account and they also have WeChat users group, it’s an organized and the people are friendly.
Simply scan the QR code to join the buying group which is full of users who love the quality of Costco products.
Maybe many of your neighbors have been using this services.
The idea highly praised by Neighborhood: Choose better goods for your family!
They hope you know that neighborhood is a better choice. When you're busy with trivia matters. They don't want to deprive you of the fun of on-site shopping!
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