eCommerce: Emerging Players

Meal planning and grocery delivery services are becoming increasingly common. The market is growing more competitive, with new players constantly emerging and trying to stand out by offering something unique to customers. 

A Paris based start-up has managed to do this. Jow isn't your average meal planning and grocery app – while other apps typically focus on ingredients, Jow starts with delicious recipes tailored to users' specific needs.

This unique approach has led to the company's success. They've expanded into the U.S. market, secured additional Series A funding, and established partnerships with major brands like Carrefour and Monoprix. Jow claims to have over 6 million users globally and to have already served 150 million meals. 

To delve deeper into the company, we had the privilege of interviewing Sarah Pardi, Jow's Head of Marketing Communications, who provided invaluable insights.

What Makes Jow Unique?

ECDB: How would you describe your company in 3-4 sentences?

Sarah Pardi: Jow is a weekly meal planning and grocery app that recommends personalized recipes, then connects with the user’s local grocery store to order everything they need to make mealtime better! We take the stress out of meal planning, cooking and shopping to help customers prepare and enjoy easy, delicious meals at home. With that, we offer solutions to both retailers and FMCG brands to reach new audiences and increase loyalty in their existing ones.

ECDB: In a competitive online food delivery market, what unique features differentiate Jow from its competitors? 

Sarah Pardi: Jow is unlike any other app on the market. Most grocery apps start with the ingredients and end with the recipes (for example, maybe chicken is on sale, cucumbers sound good, and you’ve been wanting to explore more with feta). But then… what do you do with those ingredients? 

Instead, Jow starts with the recipes, redefining the “first mile” of the grocery shopping experience for users around the world. 

Additionally, the Jow service takes into account intimate details about the user’s profile, like whether they have a blender or if they dislike a specific ingredient in order to offer the most relevant recipes. 

As Jow continues to grow and evolve, our development team keeps user-feedback and recommendations at the forefront of the decisions that we make. With the ability to store (and order!) your own family recipes, refer friends and earn cash, use your provider’s loyalty card, and more, we’re continuously improving the experience to be the dream all-in-one application for homemade meals. 

Factors Behind Jow's Success

ECDB: Jow recently secured additional funding and established partnerships with major brands like Carrefour. What key factors do you believe contributed to this success in attracting trust and investment? 

Sarah Pardi: There are a few things that contribute to this! One, Jow’s unique approach to curating personalized menus and connecting to local stores for fulfillment is truly a disruptive notion. This idea is the first of its kind. 

Secondly, our Founders, Jacques-Edouard Sabatier, Antoine Maillard, and Franck Maurin are all seasoned leaders and visionaries who not only have ideas, but also have the track records and expertise to execute ambitious plans effectively. 

Also noteworthy, Jow’s market potential is massive. Who doesn’t want a convenient way to eat well, spend less on groceries, and waste less food? Our service is easy to adopt and has an immediate impact on households globally. The potential for growth and scalability is a key component.

ECDB: Jow takes a unique approach by curating menus and offering unique ingredients for purchase. How do you ensure this approach resonates with users and achieves its desired outcomes?

Sarah Pardi: At Jow, we are both customer-centric and data-first. It might sound unbelievable, but we actually manually read every single review and customer inquiry that we receive. That’s how important it is to us that our customers aren’t only listened to, but are heard - and those are two different things. 

We do a lot of testing at Jow. It’s a part of our DNA. We want to offer the most resonating messaging, the most impactful offers, and the most irresistible experience to anyone and everyone that gives Jow a try. 

Thanks to this continued, company-spread dedication to knowing our customer and continuing to do what works, we’re able to foster a community of users that benefit from Jow’s services and keep coming back for seconds. 

Challenges of a Saturated Market
& Future Plans

ECDB: What are the biggest challenges Jow faces within the highly competitive online food delivery market? 

Sarah Pardi: As we’ve expanded into the North American markets, we are faced with some new challenges. In the states, online grocery is saturated, competitive and technologically complex. 

Additionally, the U.S. is such a huge market that customer needs, wants, and desires vary drastically from one coast to another. 

In the same breath, our proven results (and learnings!) from our success in France, as well as our dedication to our customer’s needs already puts us in a good position to be successful. 

Our biggest challenges will be penetrating a huge, saturated market, as well as getting in the door of strategic partners.

ECDB: Following Jow's expansion into the U.S. market, how does the company envision itself evolving over the next five years? 

Sarah Pardi: Over the next 5 years, we’re going to continue to expand our presence in the U.S. and North American markets and potentially explore entry into other new markets too. 

We will also be continuing to innovate our product offerings to meet evolving consumer preferences and trends, especially in the health-consciousness and sustainability spaces. 

At Jow, we also aim to be the “household assistant”. Today, our focus lies in recipe and groceries, and we will always be a recipe & grocery app, but we’d like to expand our offerings to “all-things-home”. Whether a birthday is coming up, or the first day of school, we want Jow to be the go-to service to make sure you have everything you need for all of the day-to-day needs of life. 

Life is busy enough - let Jow take the hassle for you so you can have more time for the best things in life: family, friends, and food.

Jow: Closing Thoughts

The Parisian startup is enriching the meal planning and grocery delivery scene by focusing on recipes before ingredients, a fresh twist in a crowded market. Their success in securing partnerships and expanding into the U.S. signals strong market potential and trust.

Challenges in a diverse and competitive market are evident, but Jow's user-centric approach and vision for becoming a holistic household assistant suggest a promising future. By simplifying mealtime and beyond, Jow is poised for growth, making life easier for millions of users.