Lidl Belgium is asking for customer feedback after bringing its same-day bike delivery trial Simpl to an end.
The discount retailer shuttered the programme on 20 December, thanking customers for their “enthusiasm”. Lidl specified in a note that the site was intended as a test to collect experiences and that the company would now be evaluating the results.
Lidl included a questionnaire on the site, asking for basic feedback on the service as well as querying how important the use of bikes were in the service. It is possible Simpl could be launched again in a different way based on the feedback, for example using a blend of fulfilment options.
Simpl launched in Ghent in October 2018, offering free two-hour delivery for orders of over €25. Lidl worked with Belgian bike delivery start-up Cargo Velo on the pilot, which was initially supposed to run until February 2019 before being extended.
Six months after launch the service had delivered over 25,000 grocery orders, around 15,000km without CO2 emissions. In May 2019, Lidl expanded the product range and introduced a €3.99 delivery fee. In October and November Lidl introduced a click and collect option at some Ghent stores.
Lidl said the service was primarily used by young families with children, with Monday afternoons and evenings the most popular time slot for deliveries. A third of shopping bags contained fruit and vegetables while 28% contained refrigerated products and 12% meat, poultry and fish products.
