Snapdeal and dPronto Partner For Same-Day Delivery In India

Big names like Amazon, Google, Macy's, and others come to mind when you think of US retailers that have implemented, and they are gradually expanding Same-Day Delivery in the US. Yet, same-day delivery is not only growing in the US, but worldwide. With a forecasted growth to reach $987 million by 2019 in the US, the marks are even higher globally, which shows why Snapdeal and dPronto have joined in partnership to take e-commerce to another level.

First Post reported that Snapdeal has partnered with dPronto to offer same-day delivery across India. The purpose of the partnership is to enable Snapdeal to reach a larger customer base via the last-mile service. Snapdeal raises $200 mn in fresh funds led by Canada’s Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. dPronto’s trained delivery staff will pick up packages from Snapdeal’s sellers or fulfillment centers and then deliver same day to its' customers. Currently, Snapdeal has an on-time success rate of 90% with same day delivery.

DPronto is a last-mile delivery company with a business model niche of working with e-commerce companies (including hyperlocal market places). It provides last mile logistics services for e-commerce companies by leveraging trained fresh manpower supply, disruptive technology and efficient processes that minimize delivery turnaround times and optimize costs. The deliverer's driving staff will be trained to service 600 towns across in India, which will create more jobs in the area.

The report also mentioned how the partnership will help kids in India acquire some of those jobs that will be created. Ashish Chitravanshi, Vice President, Operations at Snapdeal, commented in the article regarding dPronto's initiative. He stated, “dPronto’s initiative of empowering the less privileged youth by making them employable is highly commendable. We are excited to be partnering with them to further strengthen our last mile delivery capabilities as we remain committed to our promise of catering to every customer in every pin code.”

More and more companies are after same-day delivery. Even UPS appears to be making strides to dive offering it. The carrier giant has made a strategic business investment into start-up company Deliv to study the same-day delivery model and see how that market is evolving. The Strategic Enterprise Fund, UPS's venture arm, is leading a $28 million funding round for the Palo Alto, California-based Deliv. With UPS being a global shipper, and the growth of same-day delivery, it makes sense for the company to finally position itself to be able to offer last-mile deliveries, as well as being able to partner with businesses that demand it.

Several companies are partnering with a Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express to enter the same-day delivery market and get their e-commerce synchronized with today's business trends. The Chicago Courier has the courier footprint to cover same-day services nationwide and the technology infrastructure needed to develop efficient delivery solutions.

Reference: 3.3.16, www.firstpost.com, FP Staff, Snapdeal partners with dPronto to expand its customer base for same day delivery

UPS May Go Same-Day Delivery

When UPS begins to study Same-Day Delivery, there must be something big coming in the package delivery industry. Business Insider has reported UPS has made a strategic investment into start-up company Deliv to study the same-day delivery model and see how that market segment evolves. The Strategic Enterprise Fund, the venture arm of UPS, is leading a $28 million funding round for Palo Alto, California-based Deliv. The article mentions there has been non-disclosed investment size, yet UPS will take a minority stake in Deliv and sit in on board meetings as both companies analyze the service.

The managing director of the UPS Strategic Enterprise Fund, Rimas Kapeskas, commented about the strategic investment in the phone interview. He stated, "We don't participate in the on-demand business as much, and the consumer side of this is still a bit of a mystery to us. This is a rapidly evolving marketplace and we thought we could learn more by being close to it." Same-day delivery is definitely worth, not only a closer look, but to devise a plan to brand and implement the service within any company in today's business evolution. Same-day delivery is forecasted to reach $987 million by 2019.

Deliv Chief Executive Daphne Carmeli weighed in on the phone interview also, commenting on the investment from it's perspective. She stated, "We are solving a different problem in the last mile, and they (UPS) are looking to learn that model and looking to learn about growth in same-day delivery as we are interested to learn from their success." Both companies are good at their respective niches and this type of strategy positions both of them to compete against front runner Amazon.

The e-retailer has consistently expanded same-day delivery within the US online market, even offering the service for free is various major US cities. Last year, Amazon launched free same-day delivery last year in 14 metropolitan cities the US, beginning with California cities. It also has same-day delivery in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle-Tacoma, Dallas-Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Boston, Phoenix, San Diego, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, New York, and Atlanta. More major US cities are probably to come.

UPS's interest in same-day delivery may in fact have do with Amazon's recent moves that indicate the retail leader is headed toward creating its' own global delivery network. This would mean that UPS will have a lot on their hands to deal with because a network like this will put Amazon in directi competition with UPS, DHL and FedEx. China's e-commerce is expected to hit $1 trillion by 2020, meeting the demand of 900 million shoppers, and this is where Amazon could launch the new delivery system.

Once UPS learns same-day delivery, it will see the potential and versatility that most companies are beginning to understand it brings. Shoppers like on-demand options, and companies are partnering with a Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express to implement innovative same-day solutions. This Seattle Courier has the courier expertise and nationwide footprint to help retailers and delivery companies compete utilizing same-day delivery.

Reference: 2.22.16, www.businessinsider.com, Nick Carey/Mari Saito, With Deliv investment, UPS hopes to study same-day delivery market

Amazon Set To Develop Global Delivery Network

It isn't hard to see that Amazon is taking online retail to the next level. Online shopping is expected to grow to $500 billion by 2018, which attests to why the retailer is being very aggressive in its' growth investments as well. Now, the company is moving beyond just being established in the US, but globally.

A recent report from Internet Retailer via Bloomberg News is showing that one of the key markets that Amazon is diving into is China. The largest online retail player in China is Alibaba, which Amazon is planning to develop a global delivery network to compete against it. AliResearch, Alibaba's research company, has forecasted that the market in China is expected to reach $1 trillion in e-commerce by 2020, meeting the demand of 900 million shoppers. It's no coincidence that Amazon is planning a big move there.

Internet Retailer discussed how within Amazon's 2013 report regarding fulfillment, the vast global delivery network that it will create there will control the flow of goods from factories in China and India, to customer doorsteps in Atlanta, New York and London. Amazon launched Same-Day Delivery in Atlanta last year. A month ago, the retail leader made greater acquisitions in the UK, acquiring more of French delivery company Colis Prive. Amazon already owned 25% of the company and there probably will gain more. In 2014, Amazon also acquired 4.2% of UK delivery company Yodel. Not to mention that online retail is on the rise in Great Britain as well.

With Amazon's innovation to engage in possessing a global delivery network, it will automatically put the e-retailer in direct competition with FedEx and UPS. The article stated that Amazon's global supply chain will put it at the center of a logistics industry that involves not just shippers like big carriers, but also other middlemen who handle cargo and paperwork associated with transnational trade. Amazon's new supply chain will cause the company to bypass these brokers, amassing inventory from thousands of merchants around the world and then buying space on trucks, planes, and ships at reduced rates.

Merchants will be able to book cargo space online or via mobile devices, creating what Amazon described as a “one click-ship for seamless international trade and shipping.” The 2013 report ultimately stated that “Sellers will no longer book with DHL, UPS or Fedex but will book directly with Amazon. The ease and transparency of this disintermediation will be revolutionary and sellers will flock to FBA given the competitive pricing.”

With a global delivery network in grasp of Amazon, more than likely, getting shoppers their online order fast will be next. The retailer has implemented same-day delivery for Prime members in strategic major US cities. Amazon same-day delivery in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle-Tacoma, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Diego, Indianapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, Phoenix, Washington DC, Tampa Bay, and Atlanta. This is an option that has set the bar high, coupled with Amazon's effective order fulfillment center logistics. Amazon even launched free same-day delivery last year in 14 metropolitan cities the US, beginning with California cities.

Same-day delivery is going to increase right along with e-commerce, not only within the retail industry, but in other industries as well. The service is forecasted to reach $987 million by 2019 and top retailers like Amazon will be the core drivers of expanding the service. Retailers and brick-and-mortar stores will partner with a Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express to take advantage of the convenience demand by shoppers with the boom online. The New York Courier is a viable option for fast delivery implementation in major US cities nationwide.

Reference: 2.9.16, www.internetretailer.com, Bloomberg News, Amazon eyes Alibaba as it builds a global delivery network

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

Europe More Comfortable With Online Shopping

The world is on the upswing with online shopping, and it's clear that customers are enjoying the ease of it. Most of the time, the US is predominately in the news about online shopping growth, but now Europe is in the spotlight and customers there are wanting more.

It appears 53% of consumers in Europe bought something online in 2015. EU statistic agency Eurostat performed the study on online shopping there, showing that e-commerce is increasing in Europe. The percentage represents a high-water mark and exceeds the European Commission's Digital Agenda goals for technology adoption in the region. In the article by Internet Retailer, it mentioned specifically that the proportion of consumers age 16-74 who made a purchase online within the 12 months prior to the survey stood at 53% in 2015, compared with 43% in a 2012 report. Therefore, online shopping has increased by 10% in three years there.

The survey also found that 81% of individuals in the target age group in the 28-country European Union used the Internet in the 12 months prior to a new survey, and 65% of those regular Internet users bought or ordered goods or services for private use. This is an increase of 15% since 2007. Also, Eurostat found that 30% of European online shoppers purchased goods or services from sellers in other EU countries, which is up from 25% in a 2012. Lastly, 18% of shoppers bought from sellers outside the EU, compared to 13% three years earlier.

There use to be only a small percentage of shoppers being comfortable with making purchases online. One of the barriers to get past for shoppers was with the protection of secure information, which tech advancements has worked optimally to the point of even implementing high security resulting in trusted retail sources. People are more and more confident with the technology in desktops, as well as mobile devices, to conduct online buying. When this is coupled with the attractiveness of discounts and sales by e-retailers, online shopping becomes more common place in the way we do business now more than ever.

Another plus that retailers have added to make online shopping more comfortable is the service offering of same-day delivery. What first began as a trend, is now a huge competitive advantage to get the edge online that retailers are looking for. Amazon, for example, has rolled out same-day delivery in multiple major US cities in the US, including San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth, Indianapolis, New York, Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle-Tacoma, Washington DC, Tampa Bay, and Atlanta. It has also made big investments into establishing itself in England.

Same-day delivery is playing a big role in being able to offer another dimension to the comfort of shopping online. The service is expected to reach $987 million by 2019, as well as online shopping to climb to $500 billion by 2018. A Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express is a viable option for retailers to partner with to get their same-day delivery program off the ground. The Los Angeles Courier has a national footprint that allows e-retailers and brick-and-mortar stores to accomplish implementing the service fast. Since more people are utilizing online shopping in the US, Europe, England, and China, same-day delivery growth is sure to follow, even worldwide.

Reference: 1.22.16, Internet Retailer, Bill Briggs, Europeans grow more comfortable shopping online