Amazon Pushes Retailers To Same-Day Delivery

In data that will likely surprise anyone who has avidly watched retail over the last few years, the market is trending strongly toward same-day delivery. According to the “2017 Digital Commerce Benchmark Survey,” conducted by Boston Retail Partners (BRP), some 65 percent of retailers will offer same-day delivery within the next two years.

As of today (Sept. 19), the numbers are fairly impressive. After all, 51 percent of retailers say they offer same-day delivery, a massive jump from the 16 percent offering it only a year ago. Increasingly popular and helping to make those same day deliveries happen, third-party apps like Uber and Lyft have moved up from 20 percent of the same-day market to 32 percent in the last 12 months.

And the forecast, according to BRP, is for increased innovation in same-day delivery as merchants attempt to stay competitive in a landscape that is, at present, highly dominated by Amazon.

“With Amazon offering same-day delivery in some markets, the push is on for retailers to get items delivered to customers as soon as possible,” said Jeffrey Neville, vice president at BRP. “Autonomous delivery and distribution are the next step, with self-driving vehicles soon a reality and a few food delivery start-ups already testing the concept.”

The study also found three key areas of competence for retailers looking to remain competitive in the emerging digitized markets:

1. Personalized service: Retailers are looking for ways to continually deliver relevant content customers need, tailoring it by using what they already know about those consumers. The study found 38 percent of retailers indicate personalization is the top goal for digital customer experience.

2. Ubiquity: Consumers don’t want an inconsistent experience, and seamlessness requires a customer journey that can span online, mobile and in-store — and all without friction. According to BRP, 49 percent of retailers will offer end-to-end shopping journeys for consumers within the next five years.

3. Unified: Consumers also want a consistent brand experience across devices and channels. According to study data, 54 percent of retailers indicated creating a singular brand experience across channels is a priority as they consider upgrades.