Some
major retail companies are testing same-day delivery of online orders,
according to the National Retail Federation’s Stores magazine. Even though consumers haven’t been clamoring for
such a service yet, these companies apparently think it’s just a matter of time
before they do.
That’s
because free delivery is the main thing that induces shoppers to buy more
online, even more than lower prices, or so says Baden Consulting Group’s 2012
consumer survey. Free delivery in two to 10 days has become so pervasive that
some people won’t shop at sites without it. Before long, they might have the
same attitude about same-day delivery.
Same-day
service is most likely to be successful in urban areas where companies already
have stores, warehouses, and/or suppliers in close proximity to a higher
concentration of purchasers. From the consumer perspective, it should be fairly
easy to process web orders, pull and pack the merchandise, and deliver the
whole shebang to their door within a few hours, if not sooner.
Companies
know there’s much more to the logistics than that, but consumer perception may
prevail—especially since it’s the coveted millennials age group (18-34) that’s
been using same-day delivery the most so far. Some 12.5% of millennials use
same-day delivery “very frequently,” the Stores
article noted, compared to only 4.2% of all consumers.
Colleges
and universities should take notice. Like urban cities, campuses are packed
with millennials. If Amazon and Walmart can manage same-day delivery, what’s to
keep millennial students from fully expecting the same from the campus
bookstore, food service, library, convenience store, tech shop, snack bar, or
any other campus enterprise?
