https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/137088115
Some of the so-called “big dogs” of fulfillment companies like Amazon and Ebay have worked to provide same-day and even two-hour delivery services.
According to various columns and news reports, the bigger companies are running into problems but these problems further drive home a point we at On Time Logistics see every day: to be successful, a same-day delivery service (especially if it’s a two-hour delivery service) must be fully entrenched in the community-not just have a warehouse nearby.
This has become evident as various companies are trying out bike delivery services, contracting with existing logistics companies in the regions where they want to offer services, and rethinking how they fulfill orders.
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/464399567
Ebay first launched its delivery service using a dedicated eBay Now app in San Francisco in 2012 and eventually rolled it out to five different cities, including New York. It was limited to large retailers. In November 2014, the Ebay Now app went away and the same markets had the option available to them via the company’s website.
According to this article, Ebay has several reasons for wanting to expand its delivery options.
“In addition to staying competitive with archrival Amazon, which has been speeding up delivery and expanding same-day options, eBay hopes to change customer perceptions of its marketplace from one known for low prices and a wide selection to one that also promises convenience,” the article reads.
The article also quotes an Ebay executive about the efforts.
“The proposition is delivery within an hour or two, and you can only do that with a point-to-point model,” said Tom Allason, director of Ebay’s local initiatives, in the article. “To offer this level of service with hub-and-spoke you need to be within five to 10 miles of the customer, and that would require an awful lot of warehouses.”
Another article about the idea of same-day deliveries has this to say: “It seems that same-day delivery is the dream of many retailers right now, but there are multiple components, including cost and order fulfillment, that can present obstacles.”
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/151368933
Some analysts seem to think that Amazon.com is better poised to succeed at same-day delivery services.
“Amazon is in a better position to succeed here. It has gradually built out its own massive delivery infrastructure, and its Prime members—who pay a yearly fee for free deliveries through UPS, the US mail, and the like—have proven to be an active and loyal group, spending more than twice what ordinary customers spend on Amazon in a year,” according to this article.
At On Time Logistics, we are often that local logistics provider that can make expedited deliveries possible. We can easily make last-mile, and same-day deliveries from our respective warehouses. Our couriers in Northwest Arkansas, Tulsa and Little Rock know their respective areas and we usually try to hire couriers who live in the area where they will be delivering. We expanded to other markets, and plan to expand to even more places, because we see the value in having a network of logistics services that are both connected yet local.