It’s been a year of risk-taking at Aussie retailer Barbeques Galore as the business tested a host of new concepts to combat the threat of Covid-19 restrictions. Now the outdoor furniture retailer is pivoting once again, stepping way outside its comfort zone, with the upcoming launch of an online food delivery service The pandemic’s impact on cooking and eating at home coupled with the surge in online shopping has fuelled growth in online food delivery services – a market that is now
s now worth $756 million, according to the latest data from Ibisworld.
“We are all adapting to the ‘new normal’ of 2020 that includes many of us spending more time at home, and as part of that, the rediscovery of the home-cooked meal,” Mike Ainsworth, general manager of marketing and customer, Barbeques Galore, told Inside Retail.
As a result, many are turning to meal prep services, food packages and other delivery services for convenience and time saving.
“While there are many great meal kit and food delivery services out in the market, we feel that a solution specifically for those of us who love to BBQ has been missing,” Ainsworth said.
Barbeques Galore’s BBQ in a box is designed specifically for barbecuing, featuring cuts of quality meats in tailored boxes to suit a range of cooking styles such as slow cooking and smoking.
Straight from the source
The BBQ in a box has been developed in partnership with a local supplier, family-owned meat company Our Cow, which specialises in the production of pasture-raised, hormone-free meat.
Ainsworth said the partnership allows the retailer to connect customers straight to the source – an ethical and sustainably focused farm.
“We’re excited to deliver not only great quality meat, but meat that’s ethically sourced and supplied; supporting Aussie farmers,” he said.
“Working together, we have developed a selection of specialist packs tailored to suit the barbeque, ranging from the signature ‘BBQ in a Box’ pack to the barbeque enthusiasts ‘Smokers Box’ pack; all the boxes are created using locally grown product from farmers right here in Australia.”
Online platform
The retailer is launching a dedicated website for the food delivery service, where customers can browse and order boxes for home delivery throughout New South Wales, Queensland, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Offering a convenient online offer is essential to the success of the project. Ainsworth said it was important to give customers “the freedom and ease of an online service”.
Launching a brand new e-commerce platform will always present challenges for a business, particularly when a tight turnaround is required. Fortunately the retailer can lean on Our Cow for end-to-end fulfilment.
“We have moved quickly to develop a new e-commerce site supporting this program, working closely with our partners at Our Cow to draw on our respective strengths,” Ainsworth said.
“Our Cow has a strong end-to-end fulfilment process that safely gets the product to [the customer’s] door, while we have also been working to integrate the BBQ-in-a-box solution with the broader Barbeques Galore brand and our established customer base.”
2-in-1 shopping experience
Barbeques Galore’s venture into food delivery follows a recent trial with meat packer JBS Australia which saw the introduction of meat products into its stores.
During the eight-week trial, JBS Australia’s range of Riverina Angus beef, Great Southern lamb and Seven Point Pork products were on sale in three Barbeques Galore stores in Queensland.
“We trialled the introduction of BBQ beef, pork and lamb cuts into a selection of our stores, and we are now quite excited to go another step further with the development of this service,” Ainsworth said.
The BBQ in a box continues this theme of offering a 2-in-1 experience, saving customers a trip to the grocery store or butchers.
“It’s early days but we are really excited about the opportunity this represents.”