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

Amazon's Global Acquisitions Mean Bigger Delivery Network

If there's any company that could spearhead and revolutionize where e-commerce is going regarding fast delivery, it would be Amazon. The e-retail leader has made huge strides with same-day delivery, even making it free. Now with Amazon's most recent business move, it is going beyond just free same-day delivery, but much more.

Retail Dive recently released an article discussing how Amazon's recent acquisitions and large asset investments indicate bigger plan for the retailer's future. Amazon has plans to wholly acquire French delivery company Colis Prive. Amazon already owns 25% of the company, therefore, an initiative had already begun with doing business there. In 2014, the retailer also acquired the right to purchase 4.2% of UK delivery company Yodel. Also, it purchased thousands of semitrailers in the US and contracted trucking companies to haul them.

When these types of acquisitions occur, it shows that Amazon could be after a global establishment of itsdelivery system. Since it's global, Amazon needs global delivery system to go right along with it. It is stretching itself to be able to handle delivering the way that Amazon wants to perform its' supply chain and logistics, not being dictating by large carriers' pricing, such as FedEx and UPS. The semitrailer expansion in the US makes sense as well, enabling transporting from its' numerous distribution centers. With 50 fulfillment centers added to its' fire power around the world within the last four years, one can only believe it is duplicating itself worldwide also.

“They have the opportunity to disrupt this market and generate a lot of revenue,” stated Colin Sebastian, Robert W. Baird & Co. analyst, to the Seattle Times. With its' own delivery network for packages, the retailer will begin to give big name carriers a run for their money. Retail Dive mentioned how Amazon will control more of its' fulfillment costs, and as a result, it will begin to generate the savings in this area they are looking for.

Currently in the US, Amazon has been launching same-day delivery in multiple major US cities. Last year, Amazon rolled out free same-day delivery in 14 metropolitan cities the US, beginning with California cities in the Southland, including San Fernando Valley to Irvine, as well as the Redlands and Moreno Valley in the east. The others would be cities such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Indianapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle-Tacoma, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, and Washington DC as well.

Amazon may be seeking after performing its' own deliveries, yet currently it is also utilizing partners to deliver for them in some cities. Other retailers that aren't as robust as Amazon, can also partner with a Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express to help them expand and offer same-day delivery as well. The Miami Courier has a number of retailers that it develops same-day solutions for, as well as quick implementation nationwide.

Reference: 1.12.16, www.retaildive.com, Daphne Howland, Amazon's acquisition of delivery company hints at larger ambitions

Shopping Getting Easier With Same-Day Delivery

There are alot of companies that have taken same-day delivery seriously, as the stakes get higher and higher to compete with Amazon. It may cost to dive into gives shoppers a same-day option; however, it's worth it. It's worth is now, but more importantly, it will be in the coming years. “People are getting more and more accustomed to getting what they want, when they want it,” said CEO and Founder Daphne Carmeli of Deliv, in a recent article by the New York Post. Deliv use to be known as just a delivery start-up company, now has the likes of Macy's as a same-day delivery partner, as well as a number of shopping mall retailers.

In 2013 right before the holiday season, Macy's launched same-day delivery in 8 major US cites: San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, Houston, ,Seattle, New Jersey, Washington DC, and Chicago. Sister company Bloomingdale's also did as well, rolling out the service in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and Chicago. Now, Macy's offers same-day delivery in multiple US markets, even more than retail leader Amazon.

Macy's is just one example of how companies are making shopping easier with same-day delivery. BestBuy is now testing same-day delivery, utilizing the help of Deliv also. During the recent holiday season, customers had Uber as an option for deliver same-day. Uber went from transporting people via to transporting gifts as well, via its' crowdsourcing approach. This is one of the companies transforming into a versatile delivery service that can meet the convenience shipping demands of customers, which is only going to grow.

The article mentioned that in this holiday season, shipping companies like Fedex experienced it's busiest peak holiday season ever. Amazon reached 1 billion shipped packages this year. Etsy ASAP and Roadie are among others that are shipping cargo and packages also. E-commerce sales amounted to roughly 300 billion this year. Online retail is expected to reach $500 billion by 2018. The reason is because more retail is being conducted from places by shoppers other than the store.

One third of purchases were made online and then picked up in store. This became huge this year and will only expand in 2016 by your standard brick-and-mortar retailers, even if they elect not to invest into same-day delivery for now. Yet, with the amount of advancements that Amazon is making, most big name retailers are following them in order to keep up. Amazon even implemented free same-day delivery this year in several major US cities. The retailer is also looking into building a 20-plane fleet to reduce its' delivery times.

As technology creates more avenues for shopping convenience, a Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express will partner with more and more companies that desire to provide effortless shipping with same-day delivery. The New York Courier has a nationwide footprint for businesses that need same-day delivery solutions in major cities and the expertise to innovate also.

Reference: 12.27.15, www.nypost.com, Catherine Curan, Companies aim to make shopping even easier