Today's business market is all about getting customers their products in record time. Retailers know that if you can innovate a service that will save time and increase a shopper's convenience level, you probably are on the right track. This is what many retailers are finding out, as they make adjustments and various power moves to get their online sales to swing upward. Same-day delivery has been one of those services the big retailers like Google, Amazon, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, and more have all centered their efforts toward it. It has all the ingredients that appears to be giving e-retailers the boost they need.
Companies are not only limiting themselves to creating same-day delivery, but they also see extensive growth with tapping into same-day pickup. New shopping start-up company, Curbside, is doing just that, literally offering customers the ability to pickup their online products the same day--at the curb. Curbside has just announced the launching of its' mobile app for same-day pick up. The newcomer is backed by a $9.5 million seed money, plus a Series A funding. Most big retailers are headed in the other direction with same-day delivery, however, Curbside is seeking to cater to the consumer market that will locally pick up.
Curbside has store retailer Target on board, as ten stores in several greater San Francisco Bay area cities will be offering the service. Target's location in the Westfield Oakridge shopping center will also have curbside pick up available. This could very well be just the beginning for Curbside because if it's customers flock to it, more than likely it will be a hit at other US store retailers. In the report, according to comScore, e-commerce as a whole, including mobile, is growing at 11%, however, mobile commerce is growing at 47%. This is another driver for Curbside's case to go same-day pick up versus same-day delivery.
“We’re data geeks, I guess,” stated co-founder Jaron Waldman in the article regarding why they dove into creating the new mobile app. “We were really interested in the idea that nobody had figured out the real-time inventory problem in retail.” Both Waldman, and other co-founder Denis Laprise, are former Apple engineers, which speaks to their ability to create Curbside. Waldman went on to share his view on m-commerce stating, “Your phone’s a remote control...You should be able to transact against the business, rather than just find the business and be routed to it”.
Same-day pick up may not have the headlines as same-day delivery, however, the service does work. It can also promote awareness to same-day delivery by offering customers either option. Department store leader Macy's recently announced it will jump into the race for same-day delivery this fall. It will launch the service in multiple, large US cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Seattle, D.C., New Jersey, and San Jose. Sister store Bloomingdale's will be following suit in some of these cities also. Since Macy's has the physical store locations to meet demand, it makes sense to offer same-day store pick up curbside.
This definitely appears to get physical store retailers an extra lift in sales with the same-day pick up alternative. One plus for customers is that they can use a same-day courier like A-1 Express to perform their same-day pick up from their mobile app. The Philadelphia courier has a national footprint and mobile app also, covering all major and minor cities in the US. Customers that can't pick up at the store can contact A-1 Express to pick up and deliver to wherever they are in no time. The courier can also be a viable source for companies to correct pick up errors and store returns as well.
Reference: 10.6.14, techcrunch.com, Sarah Perez, Backed By $9.5 Million, Curbside Launches A Mobile Shopping App For Same-Day Pickup, Not Delivery