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In a move not likely to please retailers, Procter & Gamble reportedly is testing an online subscription service for Tide Pods laundry detergent capsules.
A subscription for Tide Pods is offered on the P&G Shop site.
A report Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal said that in Atlanta P&G has tested the Tide Wash Club, an online subscription service with free shipping for the Tide Pods. And in Chicago, the consumer packaged goods giant is developing a service dubbed Tide Spin that would enable people to order laundry pickup and delivery from Tide-branded couriers, the Journal reported.
With the offerings, P&G is exploring ways to decipher how today’s consumers like to buy CPGs and to connect them with their favorite products, according to the Journal.
An online search for the Tide Pods subscription service yielded a Tide page on the P&G Shop website that bears a banner saying, “Never Run Out. Sign up for subscription and enjoy automatic delivery plus free shipping.”
“Though a significant shift could be years away, a push by Procter toward selling a higher mix of products through online subscription services could have an impact on retailers such as Target, Walmart and Walgreen Boots Alliance,” investor website Seeking Alpha reported on Tuesday.
The Journal report noted that the success of the Dollar Shave Club provided an impetus for P&G to take a different look at the consumer buying experience. P&G responded to the Dollar Shave Club last year with the Gillette Shave Club.
Along the similar lines, Amazon last year introduced the Amazon Dash Button for purchasing an assortment of consumer brands, including Tide. Though the products are sold by a retailer — Amazon — the Dash Button saves consumers a trip to the store.
A mini Wi-Fi connected device with an adhesive that allows it to be placed anywhere in the home, the Dash Button enables Amazon Prime Members to reorder commonly used items with the press of a button. Sporting the CPG brands’ logos, the devices are set up and managed via the Amazon App on an Android or iOS mobile device. Notifications are sent to the user’s mobile device each time an order is placed. More brands have since debuted their own Dash Buttons.
