Web grocer adds perishable items to its online shelves

NetGrocer.com has begun offering delivery of perishable items, including frozen products, to customers east of the Mississippi. The company says it is working with a provider of insulated shipping bags on a deal that could extend the service nationwide.

The online grocer is limiting delivery of perishable items to the eastern portion of the country because its shipper, Federal Express, can only guarantee one-day delivery in that region from the Shop Rite supermarket in Oakland, NJ, which fulfills orders for NetGrocer.com. Frozen items are packed in dry ice and refrigerated products in ice packs to keep them from spoiling in transit. The company is only offering delivery to customers whose perishable food item orders are over $35.

The company is in negotiations with a producer of insulated bags that guarantees the bags will keep items cold for at least three days, Charles Rutanhira, project manager for MyWebLink, the parent company of NetGrocer.com, tells Internet Retailer. “We’re going to be working with them fairly soon,” Rutanhira says. He says the bags should enable NetGrocer.com to deliver nationwide. He would not identify the supplier.

NetGrocer.com had 77,096 unique visitors in May who viewed 1.9 million pages and spent on average just over 10 minutes on the site. The privately held company does not report order volume. MyWebLink provides marketing, advertising and e-commerce services to retail grocers and consumer product manufacturers.