SOUQ.com Brings Same-Day Delivery to Middle East

Most of the trending for Same-Day Delivery has the US in the forefront, as well as Canada, London, India, and China. Yet now, the Middle East is being reported on as being another area where same-day delivery is being launched in to help online retail thrive.

Arabian Supply Chain recently discussed how SOUQ.com, the Middle East's largest online retail and marketplace platform, has announced the launch of its' new same-day delivery program in the region. This will be the very first e-commerce company to offer this level of delivery in that area, which could prove to pioneer the service there. The retailer will begin in Dubai with plans to expand. The service for "Fulfilled by SOUQ" (FBS) will be for all online orders placed by 3pm.

“Our primary objective is to deliver the highest quality products and a service as efficient and quick as possible to our customers,” said Ronaldo Mouchawar, SOUQ.com CEO & Co-Founder in the article. He went on to say, “With the Fulfilled by SOUQ (FBS) program, we manage the fulfilment and logistics for third-party sellers, saving them time and money, and our home-grown logistics arm Q-Express as well as our partnership with WING.ae provide us with the most efficient delivery service in the region with real-time order tracking. We believe that our same day delivery and SOUQ delivery promise initiatives are a huge step forward in corresponding supply with customers’ demand and further making online shopping experience seamless and enjoyable.”

One of the main drivers for online retailers implementing same-day delivery is online giant Amazon. The largest e-retailer in the US has possibly by itself revolutionized e-commerce via same-day delivery. Amazon currently has free same-day delivery in 27 city markets, including the New York, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Seattle-Tacoma, Orlando, Nashville, Raleigh, Richmond, Tucson, Atlanta, and others. The e-retailer has Amazon Prime Now in London, as well as its' recent launch of free same-day delivery in Toronto and Vancouver this past October.

Wisam Daoud, COO of SOUQ.com also said in the article, “This innovative initiative is one of the region’s first- enabling customers to choose from the largest assortment of products and categories at the quickest turnaround. This landmark service will allow customers to buy their products in just a few clicks and receive their purchases just a few hours later- a testament to our constant endeavour of utilising technology and our operational expertise to further drive the e-commerce growth in the region.”

Same-day delivery is forecasted to grow to over $987 million by 2019. This equates to more involvement by countries engaging the service into their shipping options, meeting today's shopper demands. Customers want speed and convenience, and a Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express may be just what retailers need to shift how they ultimately sell product. The New York Courier has a national footprint in the US, with a track record of consistently providing same-day solutions.

Reference: 11.10.16, www.arabiansupplychain.com, ASC Staff, SOUQ.com enhances logistics with same-day delivery

UPS Hires More Employees to Boost Delivery Time This Holiday Season

It doesn't really matter in today's business and online retail how big you are, but can you deliver when you say you can deliver. This is what carrier giant UPS has had to wrestle with over recent years because customers have not been satisfied with its ability to meet delivery times.

To avoid taking on more that it can handle, UPS has decided to increase dramatically its staffing in order to provide better on-time shipping. During the holiday season, more than any other time of the year, shopper has high expectations in getting their online orders and gifts arrive at the destination when they are supposed to. USA Today has reported that UPS has stated that it will be hiring 95,000 temporary employees to for the ultimate purpose of decreasing its delivery time.

What happens to the package before and after it get on that truck is what UPS is after and making it successful. The new employees will experienced in packages, sorted and shipped. “We’re ready to kick off our annual holiday hiring process, and need lots of great people for various positions on all shifts across the country,” stated Myron Gray, president of UPS’s U.S. Operations in a statement in regards to the mass hire. UPS's plan is to have the initiative in place by November and it will continue on throughout the holiday season delivers in November, all the way into the new year.

Seasonal employees will help delivery all types of toys, electronics and more to thousands of locations throughout the US. The jobs available are full-time and part-time positions, with the possibly of them leading to permanent ones. UPS CEO David Abney commented in the article relative to the new employment opportunities available and how workers can receive more income for their holiday shopping. He stated, “For many it’s an opportunity to earn some extra cash for the holidays, but with many of our holiday hires getting permanent jobs with us, it can also be a gateway to a career."

UPS has several reasons to implement an effective means to getting their deliveries performed on-time. Amazon has been growing and UPS is going to have to find a way to increasing its' delivery efficiency, as the retailer utilizes big carriers on a regular basis. It has free two-day delivery and Same-Day Delivery via Prime Now. The online items that the customer chooses to elect can involve needing UPS to make a delivery, and an e-retailer like Amazon can not afford to have late deliveries.

This goes for other retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us, Best Buy, and more. However, if their carrier is late, shoppers can always count on a Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express has a vast network and can not only deliver in Georgia, but also throughout the US. The Philadelphia Courier has the courier expertise and technology to develop sound delivery logistics, including store return services, route delivery services, on-demand services and other same-day delivery programs. As UPS moves forward with its' pursuit to deliver faster, it may consider partnering will A-1 Express to deliver short distances and create error shipments.

Reference: 9.15.16, USA today, Charisse Jones, Need some holiday cash? Here's where to look

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

More Free Same-Day Delivery For Amazon In Chicago

It's amazing to see the growth of Amazon implementing same-day delivery programs in most of the major US cities already with more to come. What makes its' service so competitive is that it is for free. Other well-known retailers, be it web-based or brick-and-mortar, have their various fees for their services. However, its' going to take some ingenuity to topple Amazon.

The Chicago Tribune recently announced that Amazon expanded its' free same-day delivery service into Chicago and Orlando last week, adding to the already 14 same-day markets in the US. Those cities include San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle-Tacoma, San Diego, Phoenix, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Indianapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Washington DC, and Atlanta. Making the service free began in 14 Los Angeles metropolitan cities earlier this year and the other cities will probably follow.

A spokeswoman stated in the article that the free same-day delivery in Chicago will extend north to Evanston and Arlington Heights, south to Oak Lawn and west to Glen Ellyn and Downers Grove. This will be a big move and makes sense for Amazon being that Chicago is a popular city for holiday shopping. The coverage area for Orlando was not mentioned.

Same-day delivery will be free for all prime member orders placed over $35. Although Amazon's online Prime catalog offers 20 million items for shoppers, the current free service only includes 1 million of them. Time will tell, yet more than likely, this will grow the more and more established the service gets. All orders placed by 12 noon, will be delivered by 9pm the same day. All orders placed after 12 noon, will be delivered the following day.

The fulfillment centers for Amazon have been the key for its' growth, which act as localized warehousing in order to generate fast deliveries. This is the same model for big name physical store retailers that are competing against Amazon. For example, department store leader Macy's launched same-day delivery starting last year and fulfilled its' online orders from actual store locations. In that regard, delivering same day is very viable.

As Macy's jumped into same-day delivery, Kohl's decided this year to dive in head first as well. It recently added six more major US cities to its' same-day delivery list, which included Los Angeles, Boston, Brooklyn/Queens, Northern New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Miami. Kohl's was already offering same-day delivery in Chicago, as well as in San Francisco and in the Bay Area. Therefore, the retailer is gearing more towards providing same-day delivery in as many feasible US cities as possible for the upcoming holiday season.

Online shopping continually increases every year and retailers know it. During the biggest shopping season of the year, e-commerce sales are expected to increase 13.9% in November and December, and an overall increase of 5.6% during the same time frame. To keep up with Google, Amazon and more, A lot of retailers are partnering with a Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express in order to offer same-day delivery too. The Chicago Courier supplies the same-day logistics solutions and the driver delivery expertise, performing the actual service too.

Reference: 10.21.15, www.chicagotribune.com, Meg Graham, Amazon brings free same-day delivery to Chicago

UK Retailer Argos Rolls Out Fast Track Same-Day Delivery Service

There couldn't be a better time for retailers to step up their game with same-day delivery, as Amazon is driving more and more of them to do just that. A recent report by The Guardian shows that this is not just going on with Google, Macy's, BestBuy, and more in the US, but also abroad. Ask high-street retailer Argos and it will tell you that if you're going to thrive against Amazon, you're going to have to compete their way, which is offering shoppers a fast online delivery option.

Argos' has launched Fast Track delivery service to to offer same-day delivery to shoppers right before Black Friday and the big holiday season begins. The service is making available 20,000 products to customers with only a flat fee of £3.95, which is less expensive in order to combat Amazon’s low cost Prime Now. In the UK, Prime Now is £6.99 per order and is said to only be available within certain London postcodes, versus Argos' Fast Track delivery, which will be offered all around the UK.

“Argos led the way with click and collect 15 years ago, and customers can continue to shop with us in the traditional ways if they choose to,” said John Walden, chief executive of Argos’s owner, Home Retail Group. He went on optimistically about the new service stating, “But we believe Fast Track is the next big innovation and brings shopping into the digital age for customers. No other retailer can offer the breadth of products immediately or at that speed."

He also stated, “We can do this because we are a different type of retailer. We know where every product is in our network and for customers who shop across digital channels – online and mobile – that means they can get what they want faster and with certainty.” The article mentioned how Walden would not disclose how much Argos had invested in re-engineering its national “hub and spoke” model of 170 larger stores and distribution centers for better quality and delivery speed. Amazon has distribution centers strategically located all over the US, appearing to be the same concept and objective.

Sophie McCarthy, a retail analyst with Conlumino, also commented in the report regarding the best move for Argos to make was to launch same-day delivery. She stated, “This has the potential to be a serious game changer, not only for Argos, but for the wider UK retail market as retailers increasingly chase fulfillment as a competitive weapon. There is no doubt that the introduction of a same-day delivery service for as little as £3.95 is going to be an expensive business for Argos, but the costs of it not competing on delivery are likely to be even higher – its last trading update revealed further sales declines as it struggled to evolve its traditional catalogue to fit the demands of the modern consumer.”

It makes sense for Argos to do it right before the holiday season, as Google, Amazon, Macy's, and others are doing the same. For retailers seeking to drive their sales upward online, a Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express can partner with any retailer and get their same-day delivery program launched quickly. The New Jersey Courier has a national footprint, enabling it to implement the service on a large scale also. Argos and other retailers see the benefits of same-day delivery, and it won't be long until others begin to follow.

Reference: 10.6.15, www.theguardian.com, Rebecca Smithers, Argos squares up to Amazon with same-day delivery across UK