Blue Apron’s New Partnerships Focus on Wellness

Blue Apron is working to promote a healthy lifestyle for its customers through two new strategic partnerships. The meal kit company’s Wellness360 initiatives will be bolstered by partners including Blue Cross Blue Shield and Planet Fitness, and a renewed partnership with sleep, meditation and relaxation app Calm.

According to Blue Apron, this partnership ecosystem is key to its growth strategy and plans to strengthen its customer base. Partnerships can reduce the cost of acquisition while also attracting like-minded customers to the brand.

The company’s Wellness360 campaign, meanwhile, highlights the ways cooking can benefit holistic wellness and is focused on five pillars – physical, brain, relationship, mental and financial health. It has accounted for about 20% of the company’s new customers since its launch last year.

“As part of Wellness360, we aim to work with partners that help foster a healthy lifestyle. For example, companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield are leading the way in providing customer benefits that help instill proactive wellness behavior, while organizations like Planet Fitness have like-minded customers who may be interested in joint offers,” said Dani Simpson, chief marketing officer at New York-based Blue Apron. “These two new partners complement the incredible relationships we already have and help us meet our goals of growing our partner portfolio to attract customers, while offering new experiences to our current ones.”

Partner benefits for customers include:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS): Blue Apron is now part of Blue365, a platform with millions of active users that offers premier health and wellness discounts to eligible BCBS members. At sign up, new Blue Apron customers will receive $20 off each of the first five orders in their subscription and $15 off the following 26 orders. Existing customers will receive $15 off their next 26 orders. 
• Planet Fitness: Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers, and starting mid-June, Planet Fitness and Blue Apron will offer its respective customers exclusive offers and discounts.
• Calm: Building on a successful partnership last year, Blue Apron is renewing its collaboration with Calm. Select new customers will be eligible to receive three free months of Calm premium. 

Earlier this month, Blue Apron expanded its food offerings with additional four-serving recipes and add-on items, as well as newly added premium sparkling wines. The added options mark the largest number of options Blue Apron has offered to date.