Parched punters drive expansion of Dan Murphy’s direct-to-boot service beyond coronavirus crisis

Originally introduced as part of its COVID-19 social distancing measures, Dan Murphy’s contactless direct-to-boot service has proven a popular convenience worth keeping.

Dan Murphy’s Holland Park customer assistant Hannah Musson loads up a car with a direct-to-boot order. Picture: John Gass

THIRSTY Queenslanders have been soaking up a new level of convenience uncorked by the contact-free existence of the coronavirus crisis.

So much so that liquor giant Dan Murphy’s has decided to keep its direct-to-boot service — or what some parched punters have coined “the bootle-o” — as a permanent offering in the post-coronavirus world.

Originally introduced as part of its COVID-19 social distancing measures, the service has proven popular with customers, from beer-drinking battlers to wine snobs.

Adairs set to kickstart progressive store reopenings as retail reboot gains momentum in Qld

Rising demand for medical-based assets as investors rush to give property portfolios a resilient jab

Solid foundation puts Qld’s commercial property sector in strong position to bounce back

Dan Murphy’s Holland Park outlet was one of the first in the country to offer the direct-to-boot service, which involves ordering drinks online, driving to the store and then getting the order put straight in your boot.

Customer assistant at Dan Murphy’s Holland Park outlet Hannah Musson loads up a car boot. Picture: John Gass

There are now 39 stores nationally — seven of them in Queensland — offering the service.

“The feedback from our customers has been so great that we have decided to keep this as an ongoing service option in the stores that are able to offer it,” Dan Murphy’s managing director Alex Freudmann said.

“We are planning to roll the direct-to-boot service to an additional 70 stores in the next four weeks (including 30 in Queensland), which means we’ll have around 110 stores offering the service soon, with a view to continue to expand over the coming months.”

When customers arrive to pick-up their online order, they check-in via a link from a confirmation SMS and their ID is checked through the car window before the order is put in the boot.