Nestlé Waters North America sees increased demand for ReadyRefresh online delivery service

Nestlé Waters North America has expanded operations of ReadyRefresh, its online shopping and delivery service of bottled beverages, with a new 10,000-square-foot branch in Denver, Colorado.

“In the last few years we’ve seen consumer engagement grow considerably across our digital channels, which in turn has generated more sales online,” Henrik Jelert, executive vice president of ReadyRefresh by Nestlé, told BeverageDaily.

With that, we continue to evolve our business.”

ReadyRefresh is Nestlé’s first direct-to-consumer digital service targeted at households, which allows consumers to build an order and choose frequency of delivery on its mobile-friendly website. The company’s fleet of 2,100 Nestlé-branded trucks then use telematics to optimize their driving routes when out on delivery.

ReadyRefresh provides a variety of beverage options including Arrowhead Brand Mountain Spring Water, Nestlé Pure Life Purified Water, Nestea Iced Tea, and S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, directly to the homes of consumers and local businesses across 23 US states.

“With just a few clicks, customers will be able to customize their orders and have their favorite Nestlé Waters beverages delivered right to their door,” Jelert said.

With the expansion, the fleet of Nestlé Waters North America vehicles in the Denver market will eventually grow from two to 30 trucks to service consumers within a 50-mile radius of the city and create more jobs.

All the trucks in the newly expanded Denver market will also be fueled with clean propane energy, according to the company.

Purchasing behavior shift

Jelert said that consumers are looking for a streamlined, simpler way to purchase common grocery items like bottled water, and because of that, they have shifted to buying their bottled beverages online.

Other online retailers like Amazon reported bottled water as one of its top ordered grocery items via its Amazon Pantry service, according to the company’s Q1 2017 financial results.

“We find that consumers are increasingly craving simple shopping experiences which allow them to more easily keep their families stocked each and every day,” Jelert said.

ReadyRefresh has seen an increase in platform engagement and traffic to its website recently, according to Jelert.

“This trend reinforces the need for our business to be digitally focused and keep our consumer at the core of everything we do,” he added.