Uber Seeks To Compete And Expand UberRUSH

The retail industry is being turned upside down by the expansion of e-commerce and the impact of online shopping growth. More and more retailers have their eyes set on getting their online presence established through several channels, especially with utilizing Same-Day Delivery. The service is forecasted to reach $987 million by 2019 and retailers have taken notice. Yet, retailers aren't the only ones racing to take advantage of delivering fast, but also delivery companies that are partnering with retailers that can perform the actual service themselves have jumped on board also. Uber is one of them.

In fact, Multichannel Merchant have reported that Uber has announced the expansion of its' same-day delivery service UberRUSH. Uber once was only a delivery company of people, but now is also a delivery company of products. This makes sense for Uber to strategically implement a delivery model based on a crowdsourcing approach which appears to work. Now, Uber is partnering with big name retailers that need online order fulfillment. The key to Uber's expansion stems from its' application programming interface (API) to its app to several retail and delivery partners, which include Nordstrom, T-Mobile, 1-800-Flowers, Rent the Runway and Google Express.

Uber not only has Google Express utilizing it, Curbside has added the UberRUSH option via the API. Company co-founder and CEO Jaron Waldman said in the article that it was a logical extension of Curbside’s bread-and-butter offering, giving retailers more options for fast delivery. For instance, someone could order an item for pickup from Curbside, change their mind for whatever reason and have it delivered via Uber.

Waldman mentioned further in the article, “This was driven by interest from our retail partners, one in particular who was very focused on Uber. With the growing interest in same-day delivery for retail, integrating the UberRUSH API into our core offering is a seamless way to hook into a fantastic same-day offering for consumers. If you save 10 minutes for customers by extending our store pickup option in this way, it’s pretty powerful.” Target, Best Buy, CVS and Walgreens are clients of Curbside as well.

Uber talked about how it is looking forward to what the expansion could do for the company. Uber stated in a blog post, “We’re excited about how (UberRUSH) supports local businesses, but we also know that a lot of companies – and their customers – are looking for an easy way to get items delivered more quickly. Many companies rely on automated operations, have complex logistics networks or are in need of a more flexible solution that can fit their business and customers’ needs.”

Same-day delivery is certainly going to continue to flourish, and one reason is that online shopping is expected to climb to $500 billion by 2018. Uber is only one delivery company looking to partner with retailers to implement same-day delivery. A-1 Express is a Same-Day Courier that has already multiple retailers and businesses nationwide, successfully in assisting them in establishing a sound same-day delivery solution. This Boston Courier has the logistical expertise to take online businesses into several big city US markets quickly. With its' driver fleet and experience, any retailer can trust A-1 Express as a superior, one-stop source to get deliveries performed fast and on time.

Reference: 3.2.16, Multichannel Merchant, Mike O'Brien, UberRUSH Gains Retail Partners with New Same-Day Delivery API

Same-Day Delivery For Amazon, Now Atlanta

When big name, web-based retailers and physical store retailers all begin aiming for the same target, you can be assured that there has to be something profitable behind it. This is what big investments into same-day delivery mean for retailers, as the race for it heats up more. Namely, Amazon and Google are making strategic moves to get ahead with same day. As of now, Amazon has made the latest move as it stretches same-day delivery into another major city.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that Amazon launches same-day delivery again. Amazon launches "Get It Today" same-day delivery in Atlanta and other Metro Atlanta cities. Alongside the big city of Altanta, the named metro cities will include Marietta, Alpharetta, Mableton, and Kennesaw. Atlantans will have until 12noon to get their online orders in and Amazon will get it to their front door the same day. Amazon will have the service available for its' customers seven days a week .

Amazon "Prime" customers will have the benefit of their membership with paying only $5.99 per order. Non-members will pay $8.99 per order, with an additional $.99 cents per item within their order. Within the Amazon product selection on its' website, shoppers will have the "Get It Today" option, which shows all of the items that can be ordered and delivered the same-day. Amazon also has a "Get It Tomorrow" delivery option, which will filter millions of more items that can be delivered next day.

No other big name retailer has rolled out the service in Atlanta, which makes Amazon the first to do it. With this paving the way, more than likely, more e-retailers will implement it there as well. Google Shopping Express is being offered in a number of California cities and recently was launched in the big apple New York. Google also has partnered with Barnes & Noble to fulfill online order for books, which could be instrumental in the book companies efforts to turn their sales upstream. EBay also has same-day delivery in several cities, as well as retail leader Wal-Mart, which has surprisingly several cities offering same-day delivery.

Amazon already announced early August that its' same-day delivery service programs would expand into 6 more US cities. The cities included New York City, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Dallas. Now, Atlanta becomes another big city that Amazon is implementing same-day delivery. At this pace, Amazon probably has a number of other cities in its' sights by the end of the year. Just as in the other cities, the e-retailer will be offering a million eligible items, including movies, video games, last-minute travel items, toys, quick fix-it needs, sporting goods, electronics, and more.

No details were given in the report on whether Amazon was going to be performing the actual deliveries itself. Google has partnered with a same-day courier for its' deliveries. However, Amazon has always touted that it will utilize its' own delivery fleet. However, a Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express is a viable option to partner with for servicing Atlanta and any other major city in the US. A-1 Express is a nationwide courier and can quickly implement a delivery logistics solution to fit Amazon's strategy. The Atlanta Courier will also be an immediate source for customer returns and error deliveries.

References: 8.26.14, www.ajc.com, Leon Stafford, Amazon brings same-day delivery to Atlanta

Amazon to Test Sunday Delivery

For years the web-based retailer Amazon.com has been a trendsetter when it comes to developing creative means for more efficient delivery. One issue Amazon has yet to overcome is delivery on Sundays. The lack of Sunday deliveries has long been an inconvenience we’ve learned to live with but Amazon hopes to tackle this issue by launching a new Sunday delivery program in select cities.

In November of 2013, Amazon launched a Sunday delivery option available to their two largest revenue generating cities: L.A. and New York. Expanding on this idea, Amazon has incorporated 13 more cities into their Sunday delivery option including: Austin; Cincinnati; College Station, Texas; Columbus; Dallas; Houston; Indianapolis; Lexington, Ky.; Louisville; New Orleans; Oklahoma City; Philadelphia; San Antonio; Shreveport, La.; and Waco, Texas. Representatives for the online retailer say the company plans to expand this side of their delivery throughout the country in 2014 making it an option available to anyone.

The service in these select cities is free for Amazon Prime members, adding just another perk to the $99 Prime membership. Non-Prime customers can still receive Sunday delivery on qualified items but will pay the standard two-day shipping rate. A spokesperson for Amazon says millions of Amazon’s products qualify for this service and shoppers can easily see what items qualify for this special Sunday delivery as they browse, and these purchases qualify for Sunday delivery as late as 11 p.m. on Friday. Currently Amazon sees infant items and books as its most popular goods being shipped on Sunday, but looks for consumers to shift from their traditional weekend errands in brick and mortar stores to using the weekend delivery for their everyday purchases.

Industry analyst Jan Dawson does not expect other retail giants to jump on board with Sunday delivery. This prediction is mostly due to the opportunity consumers already have to shop at these stores who have brick and mortar options and Sunday hours.

One of the many things Amazon does which makes their business unique is utilizing several courier services to ensure timely and efficient delivery. Presently Amazon uses UPS, Fedex, AmazonFresh, and their new partnership with USPS to complete customer orders. It is through this new business partnership Amazon is able to complete their weekend, specifically their Sunday, deliveries. This partnership has created many part-time positions for USPS at a time when they needed a financial boost as well as allowing Amazon to delivery more orders than ever.

As Amazon looks to completing Sunday deliveries, it is clear now more than ever there is truly a need for a weekend delivery service. Atlanta courier service, A1Express, is your delivery service for all deliveries. Online and traditional retailers nationwide count on A1Express for deliveries any day of the week. Companies that partner with A1Express find quick and simple same-day and weekend delivery for their customers. The staff at the Atlanta courier service is an expert in delivery logistics and customer service.This expertise has made A1Express an obvious choice for many businesses in the Atlanta area and around the country. Call today for a simple estimate for your business needs.

Atlanta Business Chronicle Nominates A-1 Express As Second Fastest Growing Company

With all of the work involved in the courier industry, it is a great achievement to be recognized on a large scale. For this to be done, a same-day courier must be doing something right . A-1 Express is growing fast and The Atlanta Business Chronicle not only took notice, but highly awarded the courier for its’ superior efforts.

A-1 Express was honored on Friday by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as the second fastest growing private company in Atlanta. The award was given at the 19th. Annual Pacesetter Awards, an event recognizing Atlanta’s 100 fastest growing private companies. This is a very prestigious award and the courier is very pleased to not have only been named as one of the fastest growing companies, but to have also been so highly ranked. The courier finished second, only behind tech company Cloud Sherpas, which developed cloud technology services.

The qualifications for the award consisted of being privately-owned, based in the Atlanta or Metro Atlanta area and a non-subsidiary of another company. The company also had to be established in the first quarter of 2011 or earlier, experienced a two-year growth of over 50% in sales, and generated between $1 million and $300 million in sales. Companies were ranked by a growth index formula, used to balance all business involved for accuracy also.

The courier service has had some major revenue growth offering same-day delivery in the past few years. A-1 Express has more than doubled its’ revenue in 2012, jumping from $6 million to $14.5 million last year. To be a company performing well in a slow economy is something A-1 doesn’t take for granted either. CEO Mark McCurry mentioned in the Atlanta Business Chronicle that A-1 Express is ready to provide same-day delivery services that meet customer challenges via web solutions, GPS tracking, signature capture, and unsurpassed customer service.

With a goal of $40 million annually by 2015, the nationwide courier is implementing many strategic moves in order to handle the growth headed its’ direction. Their major online retail partner is doing the same and A-1 Express has to keep up. The retailer has launched same-day delivery in California and is planning to enter into a number of major US markets, including Atlanta.

Since 1997, the same-day courier has been providing same-day delivery, messenger, and a number of other transportation services nationwide. The Atlanta Courier offers a variety of courier services and solutions including same-day delivery, nationwide courier services, same-day bike messenger service, multiple location courier services, mail route logistic solutions, long-distance freight same-day delivery, straight truck delivery services, payroll deliveries, less-than-truckload shipping and more.

The driver is same-day delivery, which has been in major headlines more and more in recent years. Amazon, Wal-Mart, eBay and more are all in the same-day delivery race, even with groceries, seeking after the key to unlock more business online. A-1 Express is a premier same-day courier and has a national footprint, enabling it to implement efficient same-day delivery services to any online company desiring growth.

Reference: 4.25.14, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Byron E. Small, 19th Annual Pacesetter Awards

Mobile Commerce Sales Hit Almost 25 Billion! Improve M-Commerce With Same-Day Delivery

Although their were low holiday sales last year, overall m-commerce for the year stood to be very impressive. The results are in for mobile commerce in 2012 and experts do like what they have found.

M-Commerce sales reached an impressive $24.66 billion in 2012 reported E-Marketer via Internet Retailer. The results means m-commerce increased an astounding 81% from a year ago. E-Marketer received the numbers from counting the sales made from tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices. Retail sales from mobile devices accounted for 11% of online sales last year, which is up from 7% in 2011. EMarketer forecasts m-commerce will increase to 15% in 2013. US m-commerce sales will also rise to 55.7% to $38.4 billion in 2013 as well.

In the article, the research firm giant stated, “EMarketer’s m-commerce forecast reflects a confluence of three trends. First, the expanding number of smartphone shoppers whose behavior affects commerce in all channels; second, the growing number of smartphone buyers who enjoy the immediacy of purchasing through their phone and are expected to generate just over one-third of m-commerce sales this year; and third, the rapid rise in tablet shopping, which will produce the bulk of m-commerce sales over the next four years.”

M-commerce definitely appears like it is here to stay and will only increase in the years to come. Many companies are aware of the trends of m-commerce and are implementing various business strategies to pull shoppers to their retail sites. One of those strategies is offering shoppers a faster way to get their products in their hands via same-day delivery. Wal-Mart, eBay, Macy's, Target, and more are currently testing same-day delivery throughout the US. This type of service creates a huge competitive advantage online.

Same-day courier services like A1Express are able to partner will online retailers and help them be successful with their online deliveries. With the speed of ordering via M-Commerce that shoppers have, an effective delivery solution is vital to your order fulfillments. From small packages to palletized freight, A1Express can delivery fast! The Atlanta courier has the transportation expertise to help your business take the lead in m-commerce.

Reference: 1.10.13, Internet Retailer, Bill Siwicki, M-commerce sales near $25 billion in 2012, up 81%