It doesn't take retailers long to understand that if Amazon continues at its pace of growth, they will lose their relevance in the coming years. Google, Wal-Mart, Macy's, Best Buy, Ace Hardware, and others aren't the only retailers implementing Same-Day Delivery to compete with Amazon. Now PetSmart has decided to do the same and has announced it will roll out the service in several areas this November, right before the holiday shopping season begins.

Flagship.com recently reported that PetSmart will offer same-day and scheduled deliveries in eight US cities in an effort to push against the growth of e-retail leader Amazon. The cities will include Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Boston, New York City, Yonkers, Northern New Jersey and Washington DC, most of which are the same cities that Amazon provides free same-day delivery in. Like Macy's, the pet product retailer has partnered with start-up delivery company Deliv to establish the program and perform the actual deliveries. Deliv utilizes a crowd-sourcing model to execute its' pick up and deliveries.

PetSmart is hopeful relative to creating efficient omnichannels to generate online and brick-and-mortar sales. Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer at PetSmart, said in the article, "As the trusted partner to pet parents and pets in every moment of their lives, we are continually looking for ways to make the shopping experience easier and more convenient for our customers. Our omnichannel strategy is aimed at giving pet parents options tailored to their needs and desires".

Its main driver for taking their online retail to another level via same-day delivery is because of the pressure Amazon is putting on all retailers. Prime Now is in 27 major city markets, including New York, Chicago, Boston, Indianapolis, Dallas-Fort Worth, Baltimore, Washington DC, Orlando, Nashville, Raleigh, Richmond, Tucson, Atlanta, Seattle-Tacoma, San Francisco Bay Area, and San Diego. Amazon also has free same-day delivery in Toronto and Vancouver, showing the e-retail leader is very aggressive when it comes to same-day delivery. For anyone to compete, they will have to do the same with last-mile deliveries, utilizing their store locations as warehouses.

Also like Amazon, PetSmart will be launching a subscription option for shoppers. Others have done it as well, such as Wal-Mart, which is testing its' new service ShippingPass for a $49 per year subscription. E-retailer Google also offers shoppers a $95 annual subscription fee for its' same-day delivery service Google Express, partnering with companies like Costco, Whole Foods, Walgreen's, and others.

Instead of Deliv, other retailers have chosen to partner with a Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express to develop a same-day delivery solution for them. The Chicago Courier has an abundance of service areas, having a nationwide footprint and has a driver fleet to perform deliveries as well. Whether it is in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and more, A-1 Express can pick up and deliver within a few hours, making for a superior option for same-day delivery. Companies like PetSmart and Amazon, can call on A-1 Express anytime for same-day services, especially to capture online shoppers during the holiday season.

Reference: 11.12.16, www.flagship.com, PetSmart Launches Same-Day Delivery