Waitrose calls time on online delivery charges
The online arena may well be entering a serious shakeup with news that Waitrose has ended delivery charges with regards to its online operations. This is sure to place pressure on Tesco's and Sainsbury's to follow suit and could lead to a substantial price war in the sector.
While Waitrose has been a part of the online sector for some time, the perception of the company is as a higher priced higher margin business which has effectively reduced the company's reach in the market place. However, the ending of delivery charges for online purchases could well attract significantly higher customer numbers for the group.
Even though the supermarket sector has been very active in the online market for some time, up until now delivery charges have remained fairly static. It will be interesting to see how and when Tesco for example reacts to the move by Waitrose and what impact this has on the make-up of the online market place.
At a time when food prices have gone through the roof, any resemblance of a price war would be well received by consumers looking to cut their everyday bills. While Waitrose may have grabbed the headlines in the short term, there is no doubt that Tesco in particular will not wait long to react to this move and try to grab back the initiative in what is a very competitive market place.
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