As Jet seeks to take on Whole Foods and Amazon, the retailer is carrying Blue Apron meal kits as part of its online selection. The products will be available for next-day or same-day delivery to consumers around the New York region, CNBC reported.
Following the announcement of the partnership, however, shares of Blue Apron spiked by over 18 percent. The stock had tumbled over 70 percent in 2018.
While Blue Apron teamed up with Grubhub for delivery of its meal kits earlier this month in select areas of New York City, the tie-up is the first time that Blue Apron is working with an eCommerce retailer. That tie-up comes as, in the long term, the company has been challenged to keep subscribers.
In terms of the goals of Jet and Blue Apron, Jet.com Chief Customer Officer David Echegoyen told CNBC, “We both care deeply about the urban customer. We both share that passion. We can learn together and innovate together.”
The news comes as Jet has revamped its eCommerce website. The updates included a larger selection of items and speedier delivery, among other features, as the company seeks to tailor customers’ experiences based on their past purchases and zip codes.
“Our plan is to be more relevant for what you’re shopping for,” Echegoyen told CNBC in September. “Spotify does this really well with music. It gets better the more you use it. And that’s the same approach we want to take to retail.”
In addition, Jet planned to offer more local brands, along with quicker delivery for customers in New York. Customers in some areas will be able to have groceries delivered through Parcel within a three-hour window. In terms of brands, items from Converse and Nike will be available on the site starting in October. (Nike items were previously available for purchase from third parties.)