More Battles By E-Retailer Amazon and Competitors For Same-Day Delivery

It is not secret that same-day delivery is what retailers have honed in on and are determined to be the first to the finish line. Newcomers are springing up, roll-outs are being made, and new service innovations are being tossed around, trying to find what will fit. Enormous investments are being made by the largest "e-tailers" in the game, including Amazon, eBay, Google and more. All of them are certain success is at the door, and so the battle continues.

Forbes reported recently about how the battles are intensifying regarding same-day delivery. Each of the big boys are all putting their formula to the test and are now expanding their versions. The idea is to make same-day delivery the norm for shoppers in big, highly populated cities, which will not only help e-tailers, but also brick-and-mortar retailers that manufacture the products. It will be a win-win, but the win only comes with the same-day delivery that works—with longevity. Seeing the growth being made by the heavy hitters, it appears all of them are confident with using their respective delivery models.

Amazon has been quietly after same-day delivery for a while and now the e-tailer has been unfolding more of its' strategy as the battle heats up. The company has announced expanding its' same-day delivery into Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas. This means Amazon now has 12 metro cities in which it will offer same-day delivery. For orders placed between 8am and 12:15pm, Amazon will deliver by 9pm the same day. Not only is this coming, but Amazon is planning to bypass a same-day courier for online retail deliveries and perform its' own deliveries. Amazon will launch its' own delivery fleet, consisting of its’ own trucks and drivers. This is also being tested in San Francisco, yet Amazon could be planning to expand it to Los Angeles and New York City.

The e-tail giant may be expanding, however, other competitors are making big moves of their own. EBay has rolled out eBay Now, which offers shoppers a one-to-two hour same-day delivery from local retailers into 25 cities. It has an "AM-PM" approach to its’ service levels. This consists of orders that are placed in the morning, will be delivery that afternoon. Orders placed in the afternoon, will be delivered the following morning. Via EBay Enterprise, the company is also offering a "ship-from-store" product, where customers can have their online orders picked up from a physical store, and then, delivered to their front door.

Google is battling with its' Google Shopping Express, expanding into West Los Angeles and Manhattan. Newcomer Uber, has now launched UberRUSH, which includes delivering packages via a mobile app using the same transportation arrangement it has with its' urban passengers. Uber's charge is a flat $15 within a certain delivery zone and $5 more bucks for an outer zone delivery.

Which of these e-tailer's models will work? Time and results will tell. Another viable option for e-tailers and brick-and-mortar stores is to turn to partnering with a same-day courier like A-1 Express. This Los Angeles Courier has the courier expertise and technology to implement a cost-effective delivery solution. A-1 Express has a nationwide footprint as well, able to roll-out same-day delivery in the US cities where retailers want it the most.

Reference: 5.6.14, www.forbes.com, Robert Bowman, Battle Intensifies for Local and Same-Day Delivery Service by Amazon and Its Rivals