Amazon Competes With Wal-Mart, Offering Same-Day Delivery In Canada

With the holiday shopping season around the corner, a number web-based and brick-and-mortar retailers are all in when it comes to using same-day delivery to help boost sales this year. Some of the big boys, like Google and Amazon, have both been very aggressive as the fourth quarter hits. With just making a big strategic move with it's first physical store location and a number of city expansions for same-day delivery, Amazon was thought to be done for the year. We thought wrong.

With so much focus on Amazon's same-day delivery in the US, the online giant does operate outside the country as well. The fast service has now stretched beyond US borders into Canada right before holiday shopping begins. Canada's The Globe and Mail recently reported Amazon has announced it is launching same-day shipping in Vancouver and Toronto. Amazon.ca, Amazon's Canadian branch, is spearheading the charge to make same-day delivery a well-known option there. The driver of the strategy is to compete with retail leader Wal-Mart, which offers free same-day service there.

Kaan Yigit, president of Solutions Research Group discussed the battle between Amazon and Wal-Mart in the article. He stated the new Amazon service could increase volume and order frequency, which appears to be needed to stay ahead of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart's service is helping it "start gaining on Amazon..." added Yigit. Experts know the amount of stores Wal-Mart has, which enables it to easily reach a multitude of shoppers, therefore, higher volume and frequency can be made easier. With an option to save time and work shopping in long lines, customers may find Wal-Mart's free same-day service attractive.

Both retailers have made huge same-day delivery investments. Prior to branching the service out into Canada, Amazon added 7 more major US cities that it offers same-day delivery in, including New York City, Dallas, Indianapolis, Washington DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, followed by the recent implementation of Atlanta. Amazon has touted about making its' own deliveries, however, they could partner with a nationwide courier like A-1 Express to get the job done, as others like Google have as well.

Wal-Mart has rolled out same-day delivery several US cities on the west and east coast. One of the optional services for faster shopping is "Wal-MarttoGo", which the retailer began testing in Denver stores. The service offers customers the ability to shop online and then come to a participating local store to pick their order up. Shoppers pull up at a curbside location, like a pharmacy pick-up, but instead pick up their online items, ready to go when they get there. Wal-Mart's retail store locations, equating to short distance driving, makes it ideal for it to partner with a same-day courier to perform same-day delivery for them.

As same-day delivery grows among retailers like Wal-Mart, Amazon, Google, Macy's, and others, it will begin to have more impact on overall shipping. More shoppers are seeking ease and convenience, resulting in more shifting business trends. A-1 Express has the logistical expertise and tools needed to help any retailer take the next step into same-day delivery. The Chicago courier can create a same-day logistics solution quickly, especially to gain an advantage in this year's holiday shopping season.

Reference: 11.5.14, The Globe And Mail, Marina Strauss, Amazon.ca raises stakes in same-day delivery service

Wal-Mart, Google, Amazon And More In The Same-Day Delivery Race

The race for same-day delivery is as competitive as they come. Physical stores are looking for ways to get their sales up, and online is how they will do it. As they look at their web-based retailers, like Amazon and Google, it is becoming very clear that without e-commerce, the brick-and-mortar companies are going to eventually become a long-distance second option for making purchases. This is why same-day delivery has become so sought after for a number of large retailers.

In a recent report, Forbes discussed the same-day delivery race involving groceries and all of the big players trying to win first place in the online market. Amazon has its’ online grocery service, AmazonFresh, which rolled out in Seattle. It now has expanded to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Customers receive free same-day delivery for orders over $35. The online retailer is also building more and more strategically-located, fulfillment centers to get closer to their customers. Amazon knows that it can’t just be web-based. There has to be a level of physical reach to the customer to make a substantial profit and maintain the market.

Google is in the heat of the pack, as the retailer rolled out Google Shopping Express. It’s Google’s version of same-day delivery of food for a number of brick-and-mortar retailers like Walgreen’s and Target. What started last year in the Bay area, has now expanded to Los Angeles. As far as perishable groceries, product management director Tom Fallow stated, “it’s something we’re in the advanced stages of working on”. Perishables would be very attractive to shoppers; however, they must be delivered within a short time span.

The largest physical store retailer in the race is Wal-Mart and rightly so. Wal-Mart has at least 4,000 locations throughout the US and providing same-day delivery of their groceries makes sense. The company just entered its’ second market in Denver for its’ service “Wal-MarttoGo”. It includes customers being able to order online and pick up their order without having to get out of their vehicle. A Wal-Mart employee will pull the order and load the groceries for them. All the responses from those involved in the testing had on positive comments about the service. For Wal-Mart then, the issue will be the right pricing mix.

Also, the report mentioned an insightful statistic about retailers turning toward online to beef up their sales. Researcher Forrester predicts that 10% of US sales will stem from e-commerce by 2017. This stat shows that online retail can be a revenue generator and it’s no wonder so many companies are in the same-day delivery race. It’s the connecting bridge from online selling, to the customer.

Retailers, especially those that are web-based, can’t afford to not offer shoppers an online product with an optimal delivery system. A nationwide courier like A-1 Express can be just what a physical store retailer needs to improve their online delivery capacity. The Chicago Courier can implement a courier “last mile” solution quickly. Whether general items or groceries, A-1 Express can help physical retailers win the same-day delivery race.

Reference: 4.16.14, www.forbes.com, Jeff Bercovici, The Same-Day War: Amazon, Google And Walmart Race To Bring Your Groceries

Online Retailers Making Aggressive Promotions For Holidays, Even Same-Day Delivery

With the holiday season at full swing, many online retailers are at the starting line and ready to bid the shoppers to come there way. They are pulling out all the stops to get consumers to not only visit their website, but to actually make a purchase. The latest numbers show that the web traffic is there. The key is going to be advertising and promotions.

It has just been reported by content delivery network Akamai Technologies, that consumers are viewing close to 35% more pages on average of retail web sites than this time last year. Akamai’s has provided the figures via its’ Net Usage Index, which calculates the number of retail pages that are being viewed on an average day. It measures millions of page views per minute for hundreds of companies that Akamai serves content for.

The tech company also started tracking web traffic via mobile devices this year as well. 30% of retail traffic so far, is coming from mobile devices. With the increase of technology use and the comfort level using it, consumers are now conveniently shopping from their mobile devices wherever they are. Shoppers are making their purchases from their mobile devices, but also browsing for the latest retail store deals, in which they will simply go and buy it. Some retailers are offering same-day delivery as well.

With the immediate access from web use and mobile devices, the retailer that positions itself to advertise the right deal for the right price will probably come out on top. Many retailers are frequently updating their product inventory to attract online shoppers. The report stated that Sears Holdings Corp. currently has updated pricing on 80% of its’ online inventory. Amazon and Wal-Mart have updated 40% of their online catalogs in the last two weeks.

Therefore, this is where the aggressive promotions are weighing in. In November, Amazon started releasing new Black Friday deals every 10 minutes. The online retail giant already has low prices, yet this is yet another promotion to capture the attention of more shoppers. Sears also began promoting Black Friday deals. Wal-Mart promoted other Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving. CVS launched their online deals for the holidays starting on Thanksgiving also. Retailers know that the days of the shopping season are even going to be shorter this year, therefore, it is a must to take advantage of this first holiday shopping week.

A great statistic from PriceGrabber in the article showed from one of its’ surveys that 72% of shoppers believe they will receive better discounts during the Thanksgiving shopping week than throughout the remainder of the holiday season. There is no question retailers are being aggressive with promotions right now. E-Retailers can also attract shoppers by offering same-day delivery of their online purchases. A Same-Day Courier like 1-800 Courier can partner with any retailer and deliver fast, even from local retail stores. This Chicago Courier has the courier expertise to quickly implement same-day delivery for retailers during the holiday season.

Reference: 11.25.13, Internet Retailer, Amy Dusto, Holiday shoppers flock to retail web sites

Wal-Mart Start Thanksgiving Deals At 6 p.m., Will Retailer Offer Same-Day Delivery?

As the economy shows signs of getting better, retailers are very hopeful that shoppers are going to come out this year and do a lot of spending. With the holiday shopping season officially beginning on Thanksgiving, retailers are gearing up to make their big push for advertising sales. In fact, many retailers are doing a number of creative business strategies for the holiday season and they are not holding back any punches to their competitors. Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world and has made a move the company has never made for shoppers on Thanksgiving—until now.

Wal-Mart has announced it will open their doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, which is the earliest the retail giant has opened on Thanksgiving. This is two hours earlier than the retailer opened in 2012. Wal-Mart is releasing this announcement with over two weeks away from Thanksgiving. Its’ competitors are watching and probably will have to adjust their Thanksgiving and Black Friday schedules to draw shoppers. Whether this will be a trend to follow for its’ competitors remains to be seen.

During the Thanksgiving Sale, Wal-Mart is going to be offering door buster deals and slashing prices on popular items. Shoppers will be able to find deep discounts on tablets, home appliances, TV’s, and toys, yet only at specific times on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Some of the popular items for sale will be the Funai 32-inch HD TV for $98, the Apple 16 GB Wi-Fi Enabled iPad mini for $299 with a $100 Wal-Mart gift card, an HP Pavillion TouchSmart Laptop for only $278, and much more. Wal-Mart’s chief merchandising officer Duncan MacNaughton stated in the report that Wal-Mart promises to have 65% more TV’s and double the amount of tablets in stock than last year.

Customers that arrive early on Thanksgiving Day will not have wait in line. Early customers will be given wristbands upon arrival, and they will be able to browse the store until the sale begins. The sales are being done in phases and once Wal-Mart begins the phase for the item, shoppers will have to get back in line to purchase the product they’ve been waiting for. Local store managers will also drop prices on certain categories and brands, which customers can check Wal-Mart’s Facebook Thanksgiving pages for details.

Wal-Mart also has plans for online sales as well beginning Thanksgiving morning. There will be online-only deals offered, such as the iPad 2 for $75 off and the Samsung 40-inch HD TV for $379, which is discounted $50 from its’ regular price. Wal-Mart will give customers the option to order items online, and come in the physical store to pay for it and pick it up. This is another value-added service that is very convenient for the shoppers who desire to avoid the Thanksgiving crowd. Some shoppers would probably even desire for Wal-Mart to offer same-day delivery of online purchases for a premium fee during the holiday shopping season as well.

Same-day delivery is a service that Wal-Mart has implemented in various US cities, yet will the retailer offer the service during this time is a big question. Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express is perfect to partner with because the courier is able to implement a delivery solution quickly. The Chicago Courier works for Wal-Mart or any other e-retailer looking to gain ground during the holiday shopping season.

Reference: 11.12.13, CNN Money, Emily Jane Fox, Wal-Mart Thanksgiving deals start at 6 p.m.

Staples Match Amazon’s Prices, Could Use Same-Day Courier

When it comes to competing for online business in the US, companies have to do what it takes in the retail industry. Staples is one company that is after the online market but is competing in a different way. With physical stores at their disposal to sell products, the retailer has come up with a great strategy to generate sales. The change probably could not have come at a better time with the holiday season almost officially upon us.

Staples has decided to match Amazon’s prices for the holiday season. The office retail giant will match online and in-store pricing for all their customers. The new “Price Match Guarantee” program only applies to Amazon purchases. Staples also stated that that it also applies to “any retailer who sells products in both retail stores and online under the same brand”. Customers will be able to take advantage of the deal beginning November 1st.

Staples is not the first big name retailer to offer a price-matching program. Other retailers such as Toys-R-Us, Fab.com and Target. This is a great strategic move for retailers to get a head start on online shopping, especially when competing to retail leaders like Amazon. The price matching should attract many shoppers to at least come to the Staples web site to compare the costs. Shoppers are looking at their bottom line more than ever and every bit of money they can save will be worth it. Without the price-matching program, brick-and –mortar companies like Staples won’t be able to keep up with the growth of Amazon.

Senior VP of North American stores and online Marketing stated in the report her her take on the holiday pricing initiative. She stated, “Staples is committed to offering great products at the best prices. Whether shopping in-store or online, Staples customers will be able to shop confidently, during the holiday season and beyond, knowing that we are providing them with all the right products and must-have gifts at the lowest prices.”

The retailer didn’t say how long the price match guarantee program will last. If the service is successful during the holidays, Staples could very well be continue price matching to compete against Amazon. Staples can also compete with Amazon by providing same-day delivery of their online and store products. Amazon continues to build distribution centers throughout the US and many experts agree that the retail giant is gearing up to offer same-day delivery. Amazon already offers same-day grocery services, as well as Wal-Mart.

Staples can offer these types of local deliveries via a Same-Day Courier such as A-1 Express. This Chicago Courier has a national footprint and brings a lot of courier expertise to the table. A-1 Express can not assist Staples in delivering its’ online order from their stores to their customers’ destination, but also their customers can be recommended by Staples to pick up their store orders. This holiday season, online retail is expected to grow this year once again, therefore, same-day delivery can make Staples more attractive, not just the price matching.

Reference: 10.10.13, Internet Retailer, Thad Reuter, Staples Matches Amazon’s Prices