Blue Apron Makes Waves as 1st Meal Kit Provider on Walmart.com
Blue Apron continues to execute on its turnaround strategies with the news that it's partnering with retail giant Walmart Inc. The company has launched a new offering on Walmart.com that allows consumers to purchase a selection of meal kits without a subscription. With this move, Blue Apron has now become the first and only meal kit provider on the Walmart Marketplace platform, which serves millions of monthly active shoppers.
The meal kit company is in the midst of expanding its ecosystem to drive customer growth, including through third-party sales platforms that attract significant new audiences to Blue Apron. This category of distribution partners will allow consumers to buy Blue Apron boxes without a subscription, removing potential barriers to trial. These boxes will be directly fulfilled by Blue Apron. The company expects to continue to add more of these categories of offerings throughout the coming year.
“Through our work with Walmart.com Marketplace, we will be able to scale our e-commerce presence and introduce restaurant-quality meals without a subscription to a new group of customers who may not have considered meal kits before,” said Dani Simpson, chief marketing officer at New York-based Blue Apron. “We are offering Walmart.com’s customer base convenient and delicious meal options that feature a variety of unique and quality ingredients. This is just the beginning, and we look forward to expanding the offering throughout the year.”
Other recent strategic partnerships helping to increase Blue Apron’s ecosystem include Blue Cross Blue Shield and Planet Fitness, and a renewed partnership with sleep, meditation and relaxation app Calm. These partnerships will bolster the meal kit company’s Wellness360 initiatives, while a collaboration with appliance company Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. is aimed at developing recipes that can be prepared in Panasonic’s 4-in-1 Multi-Oven.
Blue Apron received a $70.5 million capital infusion in early May, a week before executives shared plans to achieve adjusted-EBITDA profitability in 2023, as well as information on its new Next Course strategy, during the company’s inaugural Investor Day on May 10. The strategy outlines a path to sustainable growth, profitability and shareholder return.
Over on Walmart.com, Blue Apron is currently offering four meal kits that serve up to 12, with plans to expand the options in the coming months. The meal kits currently feature a selection of curated recipes that include classic options like Cheese Crisp Burgers with Dijonnaise, Arugula & Balsamic Onions; family favorite recipes like Rosemary & Panko Chicken with Roasted Potatoes & Creamy Lemon Sauce; or a selection of Heat & Eat meals, Blue Apron’s prepared single-serving options that are ready in five minutes or less.
“We are thrilled to work with Blue Apron to offer an assortment of meal kits to Walmart customers,” noted Sheetal Patel, GM of food consumables, health and wellness, Walmart U.S. Marketplace. “At Walmart, finding ways to help our customers live a little better each day is at the heart of everything we do. These fantastic meal solutions will make it easier and faster for busy families and individuals to discover, plan, prepare and enjoy delicious and quality meals.”
According to new consumer research from Chicago-based Culinary Visions, a food-focused insights and trends forecasting practice, meal kits are well on their way to becoming a mainstream phenomenon, with 49% of consumers ages 18-34 saying that meal kits are part of their weekly grocery routine. Meal kits are most attractive to households with three or more people, with 49% of consumers in such households using this option on a weekly basis.
Each week, approximately 230 million customers and members visit Walmart’s more than 10,500 stores and numerous e-commerce websites under 46 banners in 24 countries. The company employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
