Yelloh, previously Schwan’s Home Delivery, has announced a first in the brand’s 70-year history in food delivery with the beginning of its digital transformation into a modern, mobile retailer. Leading up to this transformation, the company’s Chicago-area delivery hubs in Round Lake, Shorewood, and Sycamore have been operating as the Innovation Lab for Yelloh, developing and featuring new technologies aimed at bolstering both the customer and employee experience. Following early successful results in the Innovation Lab, the rollout of these new digital delivery solutions has begun across select neighborhood delivery hubs throughout the country.

This new rollout—or Digital Delivery Hub Conversion—revamps 70 years of how the company operated and takes Yelloh a step closer in becoming a more digital retailer that brings the frozen aisle to the customer’s neighborhood. Specific tools include:

• Digital Door Knock: By implementing device-driven customer confirmations, local team members can communicate with customers directly to confirm that the customer is interested in having their neighborhood driver stop by, or confirm if the customer will be at their residence at the time of the scheduled stop—critical in the delivery of fresh frozen food. Digital Door Knock also affords the opportunity for customers to make any last-minute changes to their existing order, even after the local team member has departed the neighborhood delivery hub, so no more missing ingredients or forgotten meals.
• Delivery Route Optimization: The delivery routes driven by its local team members will be determined digitally based on our understanding of what and when its customers are interested in purchasing. The implementation of this new model will pave the way for fewer miles driven and more efficient routes. 

Yelloh plans to roll out these new digital tools in waves across the company’s nearly 300 locations this summer. As the company transitions to Yelloh, additional tests are being conducted in the Innovation Lab on new technology-driven delivery tools and services to further create a dynamic experience that ensures Yelloh can always deliver more, no matter where the customer lives or how they want to order.

"Yelloh is unique in food delivery because we operate a nationwide footprint of local delivery hubs that enable us to deliver our products directly to customers, no matter where they live,” said Paul Schwan, executive chairman and CEO. “Over the past 70 years, we have developed a rich history of trusted relationships and customer connections at the door. We are excited to take those seven decades of experiences, develop innovative solutions and evolve even faster to deliver a quality experience that lives up to our values and exceeds customer expectations. As we transform into a modern, mobile retailer, we want to supplement and improve our services to meet our customers where they are—at the door or on their smartphone—while staying true to our roots and delivering delicious frozen food and meals with great personal service.”