Why can I order a pizza from Dominos.com and get it delivered in about an hour, but I can’t order a pizza stone online from an brick and mortar retailer and have it delivered in time to make dinner?
Domino’s can make your meal – ordered online – and have it delivered to your doorstep in about an hour. And you can track the progress of your order via a mobile app or a desktop computer.
Why is it that quick-serve restaurants can get one-hour delivery done, but most retailers cannot?
So most likely, traditional retailers’ hearts sank into their stomachs on March 19, when Amazon rolled out its Prime Now one-hour deliver service in the Baltimore and Miami markets. Amazon has figured out how make merchandise move as fast as a mushroom pizza, and will be doing that in up to 15 U.S. markets by the end of 2015.
Omnichannel inventory management systems can help brick and mortar retailers keep up with Amazon… and learn from Domino’s. If a retailer is using ship-from-store technology, or allows a customer to pick up a purchased item in a store, it should be able to seamlessly offer same-day delivery.
The human element may be holding back same-day delivery initiatives. As a retailer, do you hire additional in-store staff to deliver the goods, or do you rely on a courier service? Will already under-staffed retailers staff up to allow Mrs. Jones’ blue sweater to be properly fulfilled? And will brick and mortar retailers adequately advertise, market and promote same-day delivery so their customers know it’s a possibility?
Let’s give credit to the retailers that are testing the same-day delivery waters. Ace Hardware is testing same-day delivery in 33 stores, and Macy’s is piloting it in eight different markets, and Newegg.com is doing in in the Los Angeles area.
But that’s not all: Google Express allows retailers such as Staples, Target, Costco and PetSmart to offer subscription-based same-day delivery in six markets. And Deliv is helping mall merchants like Foot Locker test same-day delivery, thanks in part to partnerships it has with four major mall ownership groups.
Testing is a great way to determine if you need to offer same-day delivery. As we all know, just because a technology or advancement is available doesn’t make it the best fit for your customer base. Shepler’s, for example, doesn’t have a lot of demand for western wear delivered to its customer’s door.
Trust me when I say I’d rather order a Samsung Tab S from BestBuy.com and have it delivered to my home that day than eat Domino’s any day.