[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ parallax=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title meta=”off” featured_placement=”background” text_color=”light” _builder_version=”4.19.2″ background_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0)” text_orientation=”center” text_shadow_style=”preset2″ use_border_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]
\n[\/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ use_border_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Like it or not, the retail world is changing and much of it can be attributed to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Amazon. One of the keystones of the change is how easily and quickly the online giant delivers products to its customers. Over the past couple of years, three- to five-day shipping has literally been whittled to next-day or even a matter of hours if customers ask for it. And as local delivery services have improved, customers have been asking for it a lot. Big-box competitors have hustled to keep pace and there are ways independent\u00a0<\/span>stores<\/span>\u00a0can boost business and earn new customers, too, by offering local delivery.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Amazon\u2019s delivery service is second to none in the retail industry. Hec<\/span>k, in 2018\u00a0<\/span>the company<\/span>\u00a0spent\u00a0<\/span>$27.7 billion on shipping. That\u2019s more than Starbucks reported in annual revenue. Its Prime Now delivery service is available in more than 10,000 cities and its grocery delivery service through Whole Foods can be found in over 60 U.S. cities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The company has so much of its success built on product delivery, that it has built its own logistics fleet by acquiring Boeing 767s, thousands of tractor-trailer rigs and local delivery vans. And, as anybody in retail knows, the company has been experimenting with local delivery drones that could be flying packages to your door within the next few years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Amazon\u2019s efforts to build its own delivery logistics reached a level where earlier this year, June 2019, FedEx dropped the company as a client. FedEx, the third largest delivery company in the world behind UPS and DHL, didn\u2019t blink when it pulled the plug on Amazon, stating the online retailer comprised only slightly more than 1% of its business.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Big Business Keeping Pace ” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Target is one of the companies trying to keep pace. The Minneapolis-based company is in the process of a $7 billion effort to improve its customer shopping experience which includes in-store and online shopping and delivery. Part of that effort was the company\u2019s 2017 acquisition of\u00a0<\/span>Shipt<\/span>, an online, same-day delivery platform.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Walmart is also devising ways to stay abreast of Amazon in local delivery and pickup. It unveiled grocery curbside pickup service in 2018 and in May 2019 added one-day shipping of approximately 220,000 items for members in 40 U.S. metropolitan markets.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Delivering the Hardware ” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In hardware and building materials, Home Depot and Ace have been busy improving their customer service and local delivery offerings. Home Depot makes delivery, available to homes\u00a0<\/span>or job sites\u00a0<\/span>of a wide variety of items ordered online including:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In September 2018,\u00a0<\/span>Home Depot o<\/span>ffered up next-day and same-day local delivery in approximately three dozen U.S. metro markets. Deliveries of small items are made through the company\u2019s partnerships with\u00a0<\/span>Roadi<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Deliv<\/span>. The company uses its own trucks for larger orders.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ace, too, has been deploying and refining its local delivery for several years. The company started with \u201cbuy online, pick up in-store\u201d. In April 2019, it enhanced the service with a \u201cbuy online, deliver from\u00a0<\/span>store\u201d program. Participating stores offer next-day and same-day local delivery for Ace Rewards members on orders of $50 or more. It\u2019s up to the participating stores to establish their own delivery radius and fees.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>There has been a tremendous consumer shift toward free and fast delivery in the marketplace,\u201d Bill Kiss,\u00a0<\/span>h<\/span>ead of Digital, Retail Strategy and Innovation for Ace Hardware Corporation<\/span>\u00a0said in a press release<\/span>. \u201cWith 72 percent of U.S. households within 15 minutes of an Ace store, we are uniquely positioned to leverage that proximity to meet our customers\u2019 home improvement needs. The introduction of delivery is another way Ace can bring our unique brand of helpfulness and convenience to customers.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the Midwest, Menard\u2019s Hardware offers same-day delivery. Qualifying orders can be delivered within a 35-mile radius of participating stores.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lowe\u2019s is taking local delivery another\u00a0<\/span>step<\/span>\u00a0forward by teaming with FedEx in testing an autonomous delivery robot. The rolling bot can deliver small products right to your doorstep. This summer, the hardware company tested local delivery in a few markets.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “With this type of delivery, it’s not about large goods. This delivery will be things like saw blades, drill bits, 5-gallon drums of paint \u2014 things that perhaps they would have runners in the past to go pick up,” Lowe’s Executive Vice President of Supply Chain Don\u00a0<\/span>Frieson<\/span>\u00a0said to\u00a0<\/span>Supply Chain Dive<\/span><\/i>\u00a0in an interview.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Delivery Gone Too Far ” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Burger King has recently gone the extra mile in local delivery by testing a program to deliver food to motorists stuck in traffic. The \u201cTraffic Jam Whopper\u201d service uses motorcycles to deliver food ordered through a mobile app by victims of gridlock in the cities of Los Angeles, S\u00e3o Paulo and Shanghai. The captive motorists responded to the offering by boosting Burger King deliveries by 63% and BK app downloads by 44% during the test.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Like Domino\u2019s Pizza, convenience store giant 7-Eleven this year added a feature to its 7Now app that allows customers to receive local deliveries at thousands of established public locations such as parks, beaches, recreation facilities and entertainment venues. Customers can order items such as food and beverages, including wine and beer, packaged snacks, cosmetics and a variety of other products.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Small Businesses Taking It Home ” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Small and independent retail business owners might be thinking, \u201cYeah, sure. How do I compete with that?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The answer is that small businesses have been offering home delivery for decades. People of a certain age should all remember when local dairies delivered farm-fresh milk in reusable glass bottles and eggs to their doorsteps or, in some cases, all the way into their refrigerators.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pizza deliveries are certainly nothing new and many companies like Domino\u2019s, Pizza Hut and Papa John\u2019s build their stores around home delivery. Many of their stores don\u2019t even offer an eat-in option.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The proliferation of services such as\u00a0<\/span>Grubhub<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>DoorDash<\/span>\u00a0and Uber Eats, shows the popularity of home delivery and they offer small, independent restaurants the tools to compete with franchises in local delivery options.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Local delivery isn\u2019t just for food, either. Auto parts stores have couriered parts to local garages and mechanics for decades.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Bed, Bath and Beyond offers same-day delivery on orders placed by 1 p.m. in selected zip codes. A $4.99 charge is included<\/span>\u00a0for<\/span>\u00a0orders that qualify for the company\u2019s free shipping. It\u2019s $9.99 for orders that don\u2019t qualify.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGlobally speaking, same day delivery is no longer just a concept. Instead, it\u2019s the standard practice in many industries nowadays,\u201d Nick Hartman, Marketing and Communications manager for Go People, writes on his company\u2019s blog. Go People is a Sydney, Australia-based same-day delivery service.\u00a0 \u201cFashion retailers, food and beverage companies, medical suppliers, car accessory manufacturers, and a lot more are now offering same-day delivery service to consumers.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The \u201c2017 Digital Commerce Benchmark Survey\u201d from BRP, a retail management consulting firm, showed that 51% of retailers offered same-day delivery.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Local Delivery Options ” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n FedEx, UPS, DHL and even the U.S. Postal Service are the<\/span>\u00a0Mount\u00a0<\/span>Rushmore<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>of product shipping companies. Most offer some form of next-day or same-day delivery for either e-commerce or retailers in major metropolitan areas.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Delivery startups like Dropoff,\u00a0<\/span>Deliv<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>GoShare<\/span>\u00a0and many others have been popping up for years to fill the increasingly high expectations of shoppers for smaller retailers. However, like the big boys, their services are mostly available in larger cities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re not in one of the major metropolitan areas, there are often local and regional carriers who will tote your freight. Contract rates can save you money.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Entrepreneur\u00a0<\/span><\/i>offers some ideas for businesses looking to save money on shipping costs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Check out online load boards<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0These freight companies run prescribed shipping routes and sell any extra space on their trucks through online boards. The costs are shared by all the shippers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Deliver off-peak<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Just like energy costs are highest during peak hours of usage and broadcast advertising costs are highest during primetime, shipping rates are more expensive between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. This may not work in all markets but shipping outside of that time frame could save money.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Shop around.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>The\u00a0<\/span>Entrepreneur<\/span><\/i>\u00a0story suggests using a company like\u00a0<\/span>uShip<\/span>\u00a0which connects shippers with carriers much the same way eBay links buyers and sellers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not all third-party local delivery services work out, though. Uber tried to add parcel delivery to its offerings in 2015 when it rolled out\u00a0<\/span>UberRush<\/span>. Premiered in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco, the service struggled to gain traction and was garaged permanently in 2018.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Do It Yourself ” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Independent retailers might be better off taking their own road when it comes to offering local delivery. The first step is gauging demand. Many neighborhood businesses might have a hard time justifying the investment. Others, like independent supply companies or hardware and building materials businesses,\u00a0<\/span>might already have enough clientele and equipment to justify starting or expanding their local delivery services.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Companies like\u00a0<\/span>GoShare<\/span>\u00a0offer online information on how to start a delivery business and it\u2019s a relatively painless process.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Independent businesses can enhance their inventory management and local delivery services with retail platforms that offer mobile delivery features<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0Paladin\u2019s Mobile<\/span>\u00b2<\/span>Deliver, for instance, allow outdoor sales associates and delivery drivers to create sales tickets, schedule local deliveries and collect customer signatures on mobile devices. All the transactions run through the store\u2019s database providing real-time views of products in transit and in stock.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Delivery Success ” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Independent businesses may not be able to match Amazon\u2019s delivery services, but simply offering free delivery can boost your business.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_team_member name=”Brian Bullock” position=”Author” admin_label=”Brian’s Author Box” _builder_version=”4.16″ border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”] Amazon\u2019s delivery services have changed shopper\u2019s expectations. Independent stores can use local delivery to gain new customers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":27944,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,75,16,4,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-posts","category-grow-your-business","category-how-tos","category-industry-news","category-retail-hacks","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nBig Business Keeping Pace\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Delivering the Hardware<\/h2>\n
\n
Delivery Gone Too Far<\/h2>\n
Small Businesses\u00a0Taking It Home\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Local Delivery Options<\/h2>\n
Do It Yourself\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\n
Delivery Success\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\n[\/et_pb_team_member][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"