Following the latest announcement from WH Smith that it is set to partner with Deliveroo in a rapid delivery trial, which will make 600 products available for delivery within 20 minutes to shoppers purchasing from 10 stores across the UK;

Kunaal Shah, Retail Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers their view:

“While WH Smith’s trial with Deliveroo will ensure its products are more accessible, whether there is real demand for stationery and books through rapid-delivery services remains to be seen. The retailer is struggling to retain appeal and entice shoppers back to its stores, with its latest results* revealing that high street revenue remained unchanged from 2020, which itself was only 87% of 2019 levels.

“While a rapid-delivery partnership will allow WH Smith to differentiate its online proposition from Waterstones, it should be focused on making its entire online store more convenient and easier to use. A good start would be launching a transactional mobile app, as well as a loyalty scheme that rewards consumers the more they shop with WH Smith.

“A survey by GlobalData reveals that 24.9%** of rapid-delivery users would like to see much greater category choice, however, these services are predominantly used for groceries—75.4%** of consumers who use rapid-delivery services in 2021 used them for groceries. While WH Smith is not the first non-food specialist to delve into the realms of rapid delivery—with Currys partnering with Uber, and Superdrug with Stuart, both in November 2021—WH Smith could capitalize on its wide product range, making products such as its food and drink available for rapid delivery to boost the appeal of the service.”

* For the 20 weeks to 15 January 2022
** GlobalData’s March 2022 monthly consumer survey