They were all angry at the pandemic and vowed to change traditional commercial methods. The format of the dark store, or “invisible stores” designed to cater exclusively to online ordersthrive on the spur of delivery platforms Orders Now and rapand then added some strings like Cencosud (Spid), Changomás (321+) and Libertad. The trend has changed and almost everyone stopped their expansion plans Due to the crisis and the return of frontal purchases, they coincide with the market.

A dark shop is a cheap supermarket. It is a place without public attention, with an area of ​​between 200 and 400 square meters, with cash registers, gondolas, refrigerators and shelves. Only the “pickers” work there, the ship owners of the orders. Outside, wait delivery men, whose mission is to be carried out delivery in less than 15 minutes. That is why the modality is known as QuickCommerce.

Orders Now opened the first dark store in April 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, with distinct success. Now it counts 70, mainly concentrated in AMBA. In 2021, the platform analyzes will reach 200 points, but the plan now is to “add 10 before the end of the year,” they admitted. The same happened at Rappi, which in August last year launched Turbo Fresh and its first 6 dark stores and they planned to reach 50 stores. Now they are 18.

From Rappi, they explained that the format lost momentum to the “new normality”. That doesn’t imply its disappearance since then the digital channel continues to climb but gradually. “The strategy is focused on strengthening the cities where we are. It’s a very innovative service and the priority is that users know it,” they describe today.

The secret of the dark shop is fast delivery. That is why these “invisible tents” cover a radius of less than 3 kilometers. They are low cost because they do not require a good location or a lot of staff. They work on a reduced stock (between 1,000 and 3,000 basic items), selected based on need. “The average purchase is 5 products, and peak hours are from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm,” they explain from OrdenYa.

The technique has been adopted by traditional chains, but the one that is most advanced is the Chilean Cencosud (Jumbo, Disco and Vea). In just under a year, the company opened 26 dark stores in some of its hypermarkets and another 3 physical stores, which works independently. A source from the group expects that “we will continue to inaugurate others until the end of the year.” It’s not just that. Cencosud will launch its own application within two months to make a quick purchase.

Changomás implemented a dark store with a brand of 321+ in October, more as a pilot experience to evaluate modality. In the chain owned by Francisco De Narváez, they consider that the format could be auxiliary to acquisition (withdrawal of purchases), or a mixed model. The dark store represents a logistical challenge for supermarkets because they don’t have a legion of couriers like delivery apps.

All of this is part of the cost-benefit equation for companies. Libertad and Día entered the business, but two of the major networks, Carrefour and Coto, so far they are not in the game, although they have reviewed it. Coto is the most advanced in online sales. “The Coto Digital channel represents 4% of the charge and in the pandemic it will jump to 20%,” slips a source from the firm.

So suddenly, due to quarantine, online orders started in a noticeable way, which caused a bottleneck. “At that time, the possibility of installing dark stores in some branches was evaluated, but it was eventually ruled out because people went back to physical stores,” he said, adding that the goal now “make the digital channel better.”