The rise of rapid grocery delivery companies represents an increasing opportunity for sponsorship, particularly in sport

Rapid Grocery Delivery (RGD) is the consumer service that delivers groceries and other household essentials to people’s doors in minutes. Unlike traditional grocery delivery, RGD promises ‘immediate’ fulfilment rather than a time slot booked days in advance. It is enabled by app-based ordering and networks of self-employed delivery personnel who provide on-demand services.

The RGD market is growing rapidly due to modern consumers’ preference for ultimate convenience, a habit which was supercharged by the Covid pandemic. This is particularly the case among younger consumers who are starting to value time savings over delivery fees. This has led to e-commerce and grocery retailers partnering or developing in-house services to fulfil demand.

Key elements of the global landscape include:

• Europe: Well established e-commerce players such as Getir, Flink and Amazon are leading the market, now focusing on retail partnerships and expansion into rural areas across countries including the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, France and Spain.
• US: available in full Insights article
• Middle East: available in full Insights article
• APAC: available in full Insights article
• Latin America: available in full Insights article

 The sponsorship angle

RGD services are increasingly turning to sponsorship to differentiate in an increasingly crowded market and build customer loyalty. For rights holders, this creates an opportunity as RGD aligns strongly with assets that can deliver repeat brand exposure, local relevance and integration with the way people live modern lives. Specifically, rights holders can position their properties as effective platforms for RGD brands to reach and influence:

• Highly engaged digital audiences that order often via apps, often multiple times per week.
• More angles available in full Insights article

Here are examples of deals which have tapped into one or multiple of these angles:

1. Zapp x Chelsea FC: Driving national awareness using soccer while, linking convenience with fan lifestyle and community around Zapp’s ‘Don’t Miss a Moment’ messaging.
2. More deals available in full Insights article

Who you can target next

caytoo has identified various rapid grocery delivery companies that are displaying robust growth signals, making them timely prospects to approach about sponsorship:

1. noon: Secured $500 million in new funding led by Saudi Arabia’s PIF. noon plans to scale further across the Middle East and India as well as eyeing a potential IPO within the next two years.
2. More brands available in full Insights article.