M-Commerce Growth Globally Will Create More Same-Day Delivery

There is no such thing as mobile commerce, or m-commerce, being a distant second to online shopping at home. Tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices, have all contributed to new trend of convenience, seeking to do your daily functions that were once limited to conducting in one location. Now, consumers can do it all, literally in the palm of their hands and from wherever they happen to be. It is no wonder the numbers are showing that m-commerce is increasing, not only in the US, but worldwide.

Internet Retailer has a recent report that discussed the impact m-commerce is having worldwide. 60% of global mobile consumers use their mobile device as the primary or even exclusive means to engaging online. This is accompanied with the fact that 83% of them said that they will purchase a product from their mobile device within the next 12 months. What once was seen insignificant and merely trendy, has emerged as a key factor to business growth. InMobi, a mobile advertiser, performed the survey, which included a broad base of 14,473 mobile device users globally.

InMobi’s 2014 Mobile Media Consumption Report, there were a number of countries surveyed, including China, France, Indonesia, South Korea, Nigeria, Germany, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya, United Kingdom, and the US. The report showed that 48% of the respondents agreed that mobile commerce is the key channel affecting purchasing decisions right now. Whether at home or on-the-go, shoppers are engaging online at any time.

Other findings relative to m-commerce showed what users are doing with their mobile devices. 78% of those surveyed have downloaded mobile apps, 56% have visited an online retail store for more information, 44% have located an advertiser on a map, 43% have called an advertiser via the phone number on the ad, and 68% have visited the web site of an advertiser. In addition, 61% of mobile web users are now as comfortable with mobile advertising as with their TV or online advertising. This opens doors for online retailers seeking to draw shoppers their way. More that 52% of mobile users responded to mobile advertising as well.

M-commerce is not only having an impact on how consumers can shop in regards to accessibility, but also how e-retailers will get the product delivered to them. Companies like Wal-Mart, Amazon, Google, BestBuy, and more are all involved in some form of same-day delivery to meet the mobile commerce demand. Wal-Mart has partnered with top Chinese retailer Yihaodian to perform fast deliveries there as well. Smartphones and other mobile devices, are the top sources for internet access, such as Indonesia and India, which were surveyed.

With m-commerce, the possibilities are endless in regards to the convenience shoppers have at their fingertips. A same-day courier services like A-1 Express is the most quickest and viable option for companies that desire to get into the m-commerce game. The Boston Courier has a national footprint, able to perform same-day delivery anywhere fast. When partnering with A-1 Express, companies will be assured that as m-commerce continues to grow, they will grow with it.

Reference: 2.20.14, Internet Retailer, Bill Briggs, M-commerce is saturating the globe

US Postal Service Testing Same-Day Delivery In New York

It can be said about the US Postal Service that the company has no quit in it. With the recent years of drought in first-class mail sales and losing billions due to lower mail volume, the Postal Service could have started cutting services or even shutting its’ doors. However, it didn’t. The company chose to roll up its’ sleeves, find another way to use their assets and make something work. Looks like it finally has.

The US Postal Service has reported that in the last three months of 2013, the company delivered 1 billion packages. This is a 10% increase in comparison to the same period in 2012. It also showed revenue went up 14% to $3.4 billion within that time. This is a huge sign for the future of the postal giant. Metro Post, its’ new same-day delivery service, was also launched last year in San Francisco and in New York in December, also helping the USPS gain some momentum. Same-day delivery is a new concept that a number of online retailers, such as Amazon, Wal-Mart, eBay, Google, and more, are testing to meet online demand.

Metro Post in New York is doing a whole lot better than the pilot program in San Francisco. It was launched last year in hopes of same-day delivery working in one of the most popular cities for it, however, it didn’t do well at all. San Francisco Metro Post delivered only 95 packages in five months. “It was a rushed pilot—they announced it, but it wasn’t really ready to go. Sometimes you learn more from the failures than the successful ones.” said Jim Sauber, chief of staff of the letter carriers’ union. This is not the case for the New York Metro Post. Since its’ December conception, the service has had 68 packages delivered within a day.

Another move the USPS has engaged with New York Metro Post is partnering with web-based retailers and deliver for them on Sundays. The postal company is currently working with web-based online giant Amazon in not only New York, but also Philadelphia and Los Angeles. The article discussed how the Sunday service is very attractive to customers and is growing quickly. So far, Metro Post has delivered over 2.5 million packages for Amazon. If this continues to go well, it could lead to other innovative ways the two companies can partner up and perform same-day delivery elsewhere. There is known the USPS only has five letter carriers operating in New York.

With the downswing of first-class mail sales, the Postal Service is making the right turns now to generate revenue by venturing out and offering other services. The core driver of all of their sales is the growth of business online. Other web-based and physical store retailers that don’t have their own vehicle fleet like the Postal Service, can turn to a same-day courier services like A-1 Express to make their deliveries. This New York Courier has the courier expertise and superior performance to meet a wide range of same-day delivery needs nationwide.

Reference: 2.13.14, www.businessweek.com, Devin Leonard, The U.S. Postal Service Tests Same-Day Delivery

Wal-Mart's Second E-Commerce Operation Launched In Silicon Valley

Wal-Mart is spreading its’ wings all around the globe and there is no other retailer like it. The company is moving at a fast pace relative to its’ advancement in e-commerce. This aspect of business is becoming so vital for companies, that investment into this area commands technological experts to make it successful. Wal-Mart understands that the key to landing these tech engineers is to open up an e-commerce operation right where they are—Silicon Valley.

This is exactly what the retail giant did, and they now have a second office in Silicon Valley reported Internet Retailer. The new location is about 30 miles away from their San Bruno location. So far, Wal-Mart has almost 500 employees at this office, with plans to expand to 1,000. This is a huge staff undertaking, which shows it’s confidence level in the area. Their San Bruno location has 1,500 employees as well.

In the article, a Wal-Mart spokesman explained the logic behind building the new facility. The spokesman stated, “We chose Sunnyvale to take advantage of the talent density in the South Bay. San Francisco and the peninsula tend to offer design, app and [user interface] talent, and though there’s plenty of tech talent there, the South Bay has a higher concentration of engineers and technologists. We’re expanding to South Bay to geographically target this different skill set.”

The spokesman also shared some reasons why Wal-Mart can compete against the best of them in the area in regards to acquiring new talent in the area. “Competition for tech talent here is fierce, but we're able to attract and retain talent because of our nimble, startup like culture, and the opportunity for technologists to innovate at a global scale only Wal-Mart can offer, we had a 94% acceptance rate for our job offers.” Wal-Mart isn’t going anywhere and tech experts are comfortable with Wal-Mart’s business direction.

That is indeed correct regarding the global reach that Wal-Mart has, especially with its’ own physical locations, which competitors like Amazon and eBay don’t have. This means a broader growth path for many technologists. The retail giant even has an e-retail partner Yihaodian in China that is has a 51% stake in and has helped it thrive there. With Wal-Mart’s expertise and logistical infrastructure, Yihaodian e-web sales spiked upward last year to $2 billion, growing at a rate of 70% in 2013, all because of Wal-Mart’s aggressive move within the world of e-commerce.

Wal-Mart is growing in the US as well, being very innovative with its’ implementation of same-day delivery in major cities. Same-day grocery service has also been launched relative to e-commerce, with its’ recent strategic roll-out in Denver. Select stores in the city are offering “Walmart To Go”, where customers have the option to order their groceries online and then go pick up their order. Wal-Mart’s main e-commerce competitor is Amazon, which also is global and offers AmazonFresh in the US, its’ version of same-day grocery service. A same-day courier like A-1 Express can help large both corporations like these make there deliveries fast and without having to gain any courier expertise themselves.

Reference: 2.7.14, Internet Retailer, Thad Rueter, Wal-Mart opens a second e-commerce office in Silicon Valley

IBM Reports Jump In Mobile Sales, Same-Day Couriers Could Help Growth

The holiday season is the greatest time for retailers to get their sales numbers up, which affects the year-end figures. IBM is just one of the companies that performed what is called a Digital Analytics Benchmark for 2013 and tracks about 800 e-commerce sites in the US. They gathered information for four retailer categories: home good retailers, heath and beauty, department stores, and apparel. The results of findings showed that online retail sales grew 10.3% in comparison to 2012.

IBM found that last year was simply another record-breaking year during the holiday season also. Thanksgiving went up 19.7%, Black Friday went up to 19% and Cyber Monday went up 20.6%. The online sales data from IBM is not provided monthly. Shoppers have become more comfortable will making purchases online, which has taken some time to happen. With the level of growth occurring with mobile sales, it only makes sense that more online retailers will create more innovative ways to do business and deliver products to the customer’s front door.

Online sales have skyrocketed in the recent years, and the growth has been steady. The numbers for the holidays show online retail is being used by more and more customers via mobile devices as well. Mobile sales were reported by IBM to have increased by 46% compared to last year’s 4th quarter. They also accounted for 16.6% of digital sales as well. Large online retailers like eBay and Wal-Mart, have also offered same-day delivery for their products, which can be easily used from mobile devices as well.

What has been key to mobile sales growth has been the use of smartphones and tablets. IBM found that they accounted for 35% of online traffic during the holiday season. This is a huge increase, up 40% from 2012. Smartphones produced double the traffic of tablets, up 21.3%. However, shoppers spent more money on tablets than smartphones, which equated to $118.09 on tablets, versus $104.72 on smartphones. This makes sense being that tablets are much more user-friendly.

The mobile devices primarily used were Apple products. They generated more sales in the fourth quarter than Google’s smartphone and tablet android software. The iPhone and iPad accounted for 22.1% of total web traffic, 12.7% of total online sales and was used by shoppers that spent $115.42 per order. In contrast, Android shoppers accounted for 10.6% of total web traffic, 2.6% of total online sales, and shoppers sent $83.56 per order.

With the way online sales grew last holiday season, retailers are sure to be anticipating an even bigger numbers this year. The key is going to be who will be prepared for it, already setting up the right delivery system to fulfill the online orders. Some online retailers are opting to perform their own deliveries. However, many other retailers are in some fashion partnering with a Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express to make the deliveries for them. One plus about partnering with A-1 Express is the courier service can be a one-stop source for deliveries nationwide and can quickly implement a same-day delivery solution.

Reference: Internet Retailer, Amy Dusto, Online sales rise 10.3% year over year in Q4

A1 Express Selected To Deliver American Flag To MetLife Stadium For Super Bowl XLVIII!

A-1 Express, a superior leader in same-day delivery, distribution and transportation services, was selected to deliver the American flag to MetLife Stadium for Super Bowl XLVIII. The courier has performed a variety of delivery services throughout its' successful business life all over the country. Yet, being a part of the highly prestigious and excited Super Bowl is one of the highest regarded deliveries to have performed. Out of all the courier services that could have been selected, A-1 Express was partnered with to be involved with the event. It indeed informs customers of the nationwide courier's recognition as a trusted and reliable source for same-day delivery services. A-1 Express is a courier company that pursues to be the best choice in courier and same-day logistic solutions throughout the US.

A-1 Express delivered the American flag to MetLife Stadium on January 25th, over a week prior to the Super Bowl. A-1 Express was requested on January 24th by the client, Colonial Flag, to perform such an honored service. The flag was picked up at 8:15 am in the morning from Delta Cargo at the Newark Liberty International Airport. Once secured, it was than delivered to Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford after 11:22 am. The client received an e-mail once it was picked up and delivered to the final destination.

After the service was performed, A-1 Express was applauded and appreciated for the superior service done by a seasoned, professional courier. "I would like to thank you and your driver for the awesome job you guys did delivering the flag for this years Super Bowl. My customer is most pleased with us. My customer also called your driver to commend him for his patience for waiting 2 hours. The customer wants you to know that on Super Bowl Sunday when they sing the National Anthem, you and your staff can look at it and know that you were responsible for getting it there", stated the satisfied client.

The courier received outstanding remarks in regards to the service provided and the professionalism in which the flag was handled for such an important event to millions of NFL fans. A-1 Express was pleased to have participated in making the Super Bowl a great success and looks forward to future deliveries. The courier prides itself in assisting its' customers in meeting all of their event and occasion delivery goals efficiently as possible and on time. The New Jersey Courier is able to be contacted by various individuals, businesses and large corporations to deliver many types of packages and freight for them nationwide. From small packages to palletized freight, A-1 Express delivers fast and on-time!

Many companies need a courier that has a proven ability and track record of to be able to handle sensitive items or freight in an effective manner. The courier does it all, including local and nationwide courier services, same day services, bike messenger services, long distance freight deliveries, scheduled deliveries, mailing route services, multiple location delivery solutions, daily bank deposit solutions, and more. A-1 Express is also available 24/7 for any after-hour service requests, order questions, quotes and order adjustments, meeting all of its' customers'' same-day delivery needs.

A-1 Express is a premier same-day courier offering transportation and distribution services throughout the US. From small packages to palletized freight, A-1 Express delivers fast. As a leader in the courier industry, the company goal is to create optimal courier logistic solutions and provide superior customer service every time. The courier provides same-day delivery successfully for over 1,500 clients, including Fortune 500 companies nationwide.