B&Q is offering a new trial in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, where shoppers can receive DIY supplies via robot.
The home improvement retailer is piloting the delivery service in partnership with courier DPD, with a fleet of autonomous robots being used to bring smaller parcels directly to customers’ doors.
Shoppers will be informed in advance if their order is set to be delivered by robot and after confirming their availability, the robot will be disptached.
The deliveries can be tracked on a map, and shoppers are kept updated throughout the process. They recieve a code to release the robot’s compartment and grab their parcel. Once the compartment is closed the robot returns to the depot, Retail Week reported.
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B&Q supply and logistics director Amélie Gallichan-Todd wrote on LinkedIn: “I am really proud of the work we’re doing to improve our fulfilment services to give our customers more choice of when and how their B&Q purchases are delivered.
“We already offer different options including one-hour and 24-hour click and collect from our 300 stores, home delivery direct from 52 stores, and home delivery from our central distribution centres, as well as direct from drop-ship vendors.
“We’re already the second-biggest liquified natural gas fleet in the country and are adding electric vehicles to our home delivery fleet later this year.
“We’re also trialling alternative ways of delivering products to home, such as our trial in Milton Keynes with DPD UK to deliver customers’ orders to home using autonomous robots.”
This week B&Q also revealed it was teaming up with Deliveroo to offer a rapid delivery service for DIY products across London.
The initiative will be introduced across nine B&Q Local stores in Camden, Harrow, Palmers Green, Streatham, Sutton, Tooting, Wandsworth, Wood Green and Staines-Upon-Thames later this month.
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