July 3, 2024 – Ahold Delhaize is excited to announce the launch of its second unified app, following the successful debut of the Albert app in February. This rollout, part of a comprehensive app convergence project, is spearheaded by five of its European brands along with digital experience and IT teams. The project aims to enhance the shopping experience across Albert in the Czech Republic; Maxi in Serbia; Delhaize in Belgium and Luxembourg; Mega Image in Romania; and Alfa Beta in Greece.
Today’s launch features the Maxi app, the second in a series of unified, modular apps planned for release throughout 2024. The app will have a gradual rollout and it will be available for all Maxi customers within the next weeks.
Enhanced shopping experience
Maxi customers will benefit from a more streamlined shopping process with improved usability and a consistent look and feel. The app offers optimized promotions, product lists, and checkout processes, all designed based on extensive user research within the shopping journey. This modular approach allows brands to share functionalities like referral programs and value propositions, including loyalty programs and fast delivery options, more easily.
Expanding tech capabilities and knowledge
This initiative marks a significant step in Ahold Delhaize’s product and tech ambitions, enhancing collaboration and operational efficiency across its European brands. Developed on ReactNative, the modular app framework supports cross-platform functionality for both iOS and Android devices. This foundation enables the rapid scaling of new features and innovations, reducing design and development time, as well as costs. The shared codebase and design system are expected to yield substantial annual savings, improving the company’s financial health.
Anette Schouls – VP Consumer Products, Ahold Delhaize.: “This new app for Maxi has been designed to scale wherever possible and include local requirements when needed. The passionate collaboration with regional and local teams has been a key ingredient in delivering this new app for the second brand in line, only four months after its initial launch for Albert. This is fueling our excitement for a promising future.”
Strong collaboration across brands and partners
The project has involved close collaboration among the five participating brands, as well as the digital experience and IT teams, leveraging their combined expertise in business strategy, user experience design, software development, and product and project management. The initiative also includes partnerships with external experts in design, development, and analytics.
Building a unified suite of digital services
With the launch of the Maxi app, the primary function is to facilitate online shopping, particularly for larger weekly purchases. In addition to the new app for online shopping, Maxi will continue to operate the locally built Moj Maxi (“My Maxi”) app, dedicated to its loyalty program. As part of its omnichannel strategy, Maxi plans to integrate the two apps into a single customer touchpoint, enhancing user convenience and engagement.
Pivotal advancement in digital transformation
Ahold Delhaize's app convergence project represents a major milestone in its digital transformation journey. The greenfield approach and modular design offer brands a more secure, robust, and flexible app. By harmonizing the digital shopping experience across brands, Ahold Delhaize aims to enhance customer satisfaction, set new standards for retail innovation, and drive both customer engagement and business growth.
We look forward to the upcoming launches of unified apps for our other brands!
