Josh here, Co-founder of Good Robot Brewing, bringing you the latest scoop on our online store.

Our summer customer surveys highlighted that convenience, fast delivery, and a wide selection matter most to you.

Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to deliver on the benefits that matter most to our online customers, including same-day delivery.

Therefore, starting December 4, we are partnering with Harvest Beer Wine Spirits so that we can continue to offer our at-home delivery experience.

 

Why the change?

Since 2020, Good Robot has offered an online store with at-home delivery of beers and other beverages. We guaranteed 2-hour delivery times for Halifax residents and Canada Post shipping for all other Nova Scotians and Canadians.

Between 2020 and 2021, our taproom was shut down due to Covid four times, and our product variety was limited at NSLC and private stores like Harvest. Customers, therefore, did not have easy access to our products. Many of our hospitality employees wanted to work during this time, too, so we had a high demand for at-home delivery and plenty of Robots to fulfil the demand.

Between 2022 and 2023, Good Robot opened two new retail and hospitality venues (Elmsdale and The Commons) while NSLC and Harvest began carrying more and more of Good Robot’s beverages. As the world continued to open up post-Covid, most of our online customers switched to buying Good Robot in stores.

In fact, a recent survey of lapsed online customers showed that 25% of our customers no longer bought online because Covid restrictions were lifted and they preferred buying in person.

Another 15% indicated they had left the province! About 13% were pregnant!

Most of our online customers from 2020-2021 were suddenly gone. Subsequently, we went from operating seven days per week with two cars on the road and a two-hour delivery guarantee to operating five days a week with a same-day delivery guarantee.

We tried to turn around our E-commerce experience this spring-summer, but the overhead costs were just too high. Each order was costing more than it was making.

So, we were faced with a difficult decision:

  1. Shut down our e-commerce (at-home delivery) experience, or
  2. Outsource it to someone that can do it affordably

Harvest has a large warehouse, Micco’s delivery force (multiple delivery vehicles and drivers on the road daily), and a dedicated retail customer service team. Partnering with a third-party logistics company like Harvest ensures we can continue to keep at-home deliveries of Good Robot alive.

 

What is changing?

For most of our customers, very little is changing, and we believe most of the changes are positive.

First, your beverage selection has multiplied. Harvest is the largest private retailer of beer, wine, spirits and cider in Nova Scotia. This means that you’ll have access to not only Good Robot beverages, but also a variety of your favourite beers, seltzers, wines, and spirits from Nova Scotia and beyond.

Second, the Good Robot Online Store will be moving from its previous Shopify domain to Harvest’s domain. The new website is very similar in design.

Also, delivery fulfilment is changing.
For deliveries in Halifax Regional Municipality zone (see map below):
  1. Same-day delivery is now available daily (previously available only Wed-Sun) with 5:00 pm cut-off.
  2. Choose delivery windows that suit your schedule (rather than guessing when your order will arrive).
  3. The Halifax delivery zone has expanded to include areas like Herring Cove, Fall River, Middle Sackville, Hammonds Plains, Timberlea, and more (see map).
  4. For December, free delivery will continue to apply for orders > $50. In January, the minimum order value for free delivery will increase to $150.
For deliveries in Nova Scotia outside of HRM (see map below):
  1. Shipping is now faster than ever (24 hours if ordered weekdays before 1:00 pm).
  2. Minimum order value for free delivery is $150.

 

For Canadian customers outside of Nova Scotia:

  1. Unfortunately, due to back-end issues, you will no longer be able to checkout online. Canada-wide deliveries are placed on Harvest’s toll-free number: 1-888-218-3326
  2. Minimum order value for free delivery is $150.

This is the toughest pill to swallow as we understand many of our Canadian customers outside of NS will find phone-in orders less convenient. That said, the Harvest customer service team is very strong and we encourage you to give the service a try.

 

How do I order?

  • Starting December 4, head to https://www.harvestwines.ca/good-robot for all your online orders.
  • Voilà! Just like Good Robot’s at-home delivery experience of yesteryear, cold, refreshing beverages will be delivered to your door promptly!

 

I have questions and/or want to voice my opinion. How do I contact you?

We want your feedback! Seriously. It’s really important to us to know that we are making our customers as happy as possible.

Email josh@goodrobotbrewing.ca for questions and feedback.

You are also welcome to call Harvest’s customer service team at 1-888-218-3326 for questions and feedback.

 

 

By partnering with Harvest Beer Wine Spirits, we’re on a mission to ensure we can continue to offer at-home beverage experiences with faster delivery, more beverages and expanded delivery areas.

Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, cheers to you.

Joshua Counsil

Co-founder, Good Robot Brewing