E-mart adds delivery to its electronics pickup service as retailers race to build online apps

E-mart has added a delivery option to Digital Grab, its in-app electronics pickup service, as the retailer moves to expand its online customer touchpoints and sharpen its O4O — online-for-offline — strategy.

According to industry sources, E-mart launched the delivery service through Digital Grab on its mobile app on May 28. Digital Grab is a smart-order service that lets customers buy smartphones, gaming consoles and other digital and small home appliances, then pick up their purchases at an E-mart or Traders store on a date of their choosing. The service debuted on the E-mart app in August last year.

"Digital Grab started with a digital electronics pickup service and has since expanded its categories to include small and lifestyle appliances," an E-mart official said. "We added the delivery service to broaden customer touchpoints and enhance the benefits we offer."

Digital Grab is part of E-mart's broader O4O strategy, which uses online tools to drive foot traffic to its physical stores. The service highlights the ability to purchase and pick up high-demand products — such as PlayStation consoles and Nintendo Switch units — without waiting in line for store openings. By the same token, E-mart launched Wine Grab in November last year, a service that lets customers order wine through the app and collect it in store.

The addition of delivery is a separate push to strengthen the experience for customers who arrive through online channels, rather than a replacement for the pickup option. The thinking is that expanding the range of choices will draw in new online customers and eventually steer them toward the pickup service and in-store visits.

E-mart is building out its app around delivery and pickup more broadly. Beyond the Grab services, it operates Order to Home — a direct-from-farm fresh produce delivery service introduced in the first half of last year — and Order Pick, a group-buying service. The retailer is also expanding its quick-commerce offering, which delivers products within roughly an hour. Working with SSG.com, E-mart runs the quick-commerce service Baro Quick across more than 80 stores and plans to extend that to 90 stores by the end of the first half of this year.

Competition across the retail sector's online services has been intensifying. Daiso's online shopping mall, Daiso Mall, expanded its quick-commerce service "Today Delivery" last month to cover all 25 autonomous districts of Seoul. The service has Daiso stores ship products directly, with third-party couriers handling last-mile delivery. Daiso is also scaling up its O4O strategy through its own app, offering in-store inventory checks, a pickup service and an "open-run" feature that alerts customers to new arrivals in advance.

Convenience stores are also using their apps to push into quick commerce and O4O. CU and GS25 recently partnered with Coupang Eats to launch 24-hour quick-commerce services, targeting late-night delivery demand. Both chains are strengthening their O4O offerings as well — most notably through liquor reservation and pickup services on their proprietary apps. They have also been stocking limited-edition products unavailable at ordinary stores and selling specialty liquors such as sake and whisky that are not typically found at convenience stores.