Ben & Jerry’s has launched a door-to-door delivery service in the US that will allow consumers to get their ice cream fix.
Shoppers can order Ben & Jerry’s pint tubs – including pints of dairy ice cream, frozen yogurt and newly launched non-dairy ice cream – through a special storefront built into the brand’s website.
There’s also Ben & Jerry’s Pint Slices – the chocolate-covered ice cream bars launched at the start of the year.
All of the products will cost $6.99 – apart from the non-dairy ice creams, which are more at $7.99 per pint – while so-called ‘collections’ will allow owner Unilever the opportunity to sell consumers multiple products at once for less than they would cost separately.
There’s also merchandise, like Ben & Jerry’s T-shirts emblazoned with the names of famous flavours and slogans such as ‘I like to spoon’.
Association global innovation manager Jody Eley said: “With the increasing popularity of online shopping and fans seeking to get their hands on a pint via mobile, now was the perfect time for us to bring the Ben & Jerry’s experience to e-commerce. Even better, fans can now get their hands on Ben & Jerry’s swag to compliment their pints.
“It’s no secret that our fans love our flavours and now they can get the love delivered directly to their door without having to leave home. Want a pint of Chubby Hubby, a box of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pint Slices and a swanky new Ben & Jerry’s T-shirt to sport while spooning deep into your pint? You got it!”
Analysis: how exactly does it work?
Ben & Jerry’s says the ice cream is packed in a cooler within a shipping box, filled with enough dry ice to keep the contents frozen well into the evening of delivery. The temperature inside the box is -110°F – colder than domestic freezers – meaning consumers are advised to handle the dry ice with gloves. Shipping at the moment is restricted to the US; most orders will be fulfilled by FedEx within two days.
The problem is the cost of delivery. Consumers thinking of using the service for an indulgent night at home will have to think again, as the flat rate for deliveries of ice cream is $19. That means you’ll have to buy three pints of ice cream before the cost of the product outweighs even the delivery charge – and buying six tubs of ice cream, say, for a large gathering will end up costing the consumer more than $10 per pint tub. Those charges fall to $6 for merchandise only, or a massive $49 for overnight delivery.
The use of language suggests the brand has its sights on the gifting market – it’s called the Ben & Jerry’s Gift Shop, after all. We know there’s significant brand loyalty around Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and consumers can now order for ice cream-obsessed loved ones hundreds of miles away. They don’t even need to be in at the time.
But even though we know consumers will pay for convenience, will they really pay that?
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