Fast, cold, competitive prices Zé’s on-demand delivery service comes knocking for millions of consumers

Fast delivery. Competitive prices. Delivered ice cold. That’s the pledge made by Zé, one of the largest beverage home delivery services in Latin America.

Zé offers delivery in every state in Brazil and processes six million orders each month. Orders are placed via the website or mobile app, fulfilled by local retailers or small distribution hubs, and delivered by a network of couriers direct to consumers’ homes. Zé Delivery is one of AB InBev’s Direct to Consumer digital products that is delivering better beer experiences to consumers designed by those who know beer best.

Products on offer include a variety of beverages, snacks and related items, like ice and cups. But Zé is best known for ice-cold delivery in 30 minutes or less of popular beer brands, including Brahma, Skol, Antarctica, Budweiser, Stella Artois, Bohemia, Corona, Beck’s and Cervejaria Colorado – at fair prices.

“Zé Delivery changed my life”

After launching in 2016 in ZX Ventures, AB InBev’s innovation group, Zé spent several years refining its product, operating model and tech platform, reaching 1.6 million orders in 2019. But its value to consumers and small businesses was accelerated in early 2020 with the arrival of COVID-19 lockdowns.

In 2020, Zé scaled quickly to make its services available in as many neighborhoods as possible across Brazil, helping keep over 3,000 retailers and 30,000 couriers in business.

“People were forced to stay home and local neighborhood shops - which often didn’t offer online ordering and delivery services – were in jeopardy,” explained Guilherme Lebelson, Global Vice President of eCommerce and Direct to Consumer for AB InBev.

Zé scaled quickly to make its services available in as many neighborhoods as possible across the country, helping keep over 3,000 retailers and 30,000 couriers in business. Drivers also delivered discounted bottled water to people in areas where access to clean water was not readily available.

And Ze Delivery is helping retail owners by driving incremental traffic to their stores.

"Zé Delivery changed my life,” said Gabriel, a retail store owner in Guarulhos, Brazil. “Many didn’t believe in my success. Me and my wife managed our business and we’re really proud of what we built.”

Rapid growth, international expansion

Although most COVID restrictions have lifted, demand for Zé’s services continues to rise. Monthly orders are growing to record levels, and as of September 2021, Zé delivered 1.5 times more orders than all of 2020. More than half the population of Brazil now is covered by Zé’s services in their community.

“The Zé Company vision is to make convenience accessible and affordable to consumers in every beverage occasion, no matter where,” said Guilherme. “We strive to become the first choice in the beverage segment connecting consumer demand, supply capacity and consumer product brands, online and in-person.”

Did you know? Zé is a nickname for Jose. It was chosen for the brand to evoke a familiar name, a friend who is running to the store for you.

Zé’s diverse portfolio of leading brands helps raise awareness and drives consumer adoption. Access to AB InBev’s extensive logistics network, which includes partnerships with millions of retailers and a footprint of owned physical stores, helps to provide last mile delivery efficiency and high service levels.

To that end, Zé Company rapidly expanded its international presence over the last year. Its platforms now handle on-demand delivery orders for consumers in 10 additional countries in Latin America:

Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru, covering a population of over 50 million inhabitants.

Zé’s consumer-focus is bringing great results. The app holds 4.9+ star ratings in Google Play and the App Store. By connecting directly with consumers, insights gained from order data are making the platform even more attuned to customer preferences for new products, marketing and sales promotions, and prompting pilots of new offerings such as planned delivery and subscription services. This opens exciting new opportunities as consumers move towards online channels, and Zé is better able to serve them by enabling CPG companies and local producer partners to sell through the platform.

Zé is one example of AB InBev’s Direct to Consumer digital products that are building relationships with consumers, continuously improving through their feedback to deliver the best beer experience.