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Like anything Walmart does, the company’s personal shopping service – JetBlack – faced a heavy amount of scrutiny upon launch. So how is this novelty faring in the current world of Postmates and Amazon Prime?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, JetBlack (which kicked off in New York in 2018) has generated a decent stream of income, with over half of users engaging weekly and spending around $1500 per month through the personal shopping service.
Fifteen. Hundred.
JetBlack’s allure comes in part due to its ability to recognize customer needs and recommend products based on those requirements. For example, someone in the market for a new vacuum cleaner could text “vacuum” to the service and receive recommendations for a wide range of well-rated models.
This intuition makes JetBlack ideal for those who are constantly on-the-go or otherwise too indisposed to visit the store on any predictable basis.
Further, the novelty of being able to have vital ingredients or tools delivered within hours means that JetBlack users are free to spend more of their time innovating, parenting, or working without fear of compromising on quality products. This is JetBlack’s core premise, and the fact that it’s still going strong a year after its inception bodes well for the concierge market.
Part of JetBlack’s success may be attributable to its lack of brand loyalty. JetBlack doesn’t limit users to Walmart products, so it is more universally applicable, thus putting it on par with something like Amazon’s grocery delivery services. This also stands to remove the “cheap” Walmart stigma from the service; since JetBlack draws from a variety of different retailers, users can comfortably assume that they’re receiving the best available product — not just the best available Walmart option.
And to be fair, the anti-Walmart people would have to dig around the site to even know there’s an affiliation – it comes off as a sleek, autonomous startup anyone can get behind.
While JetBlack’s price tag of $50 per month places it in a higher expense bracket than some competitors (e.g., Amazon Prime), the fact remains that JetBlack still errs on the cheap side of personal shopping services — and, given the relative ease with which one can place an order, it seems that JetBlack is poised to remain a staple for its monthly users.
It will be interesting to see how personal shopping services adapt to meet or improve upon JetBlack’s example going forward.
