In an effort to sign up more merchants and develop interest in the program, Shopify and UberRUSH are offering free same-day delivery up to Dec. 24 in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. The two companies have been partnering since October.
Merchants can activate UberRUSH through their Shopify account. When a consumer in an area covered by UberRUSH is checking out an item, they can choose the service as a delivery option, and the order is transmitted to the merchant via Shopify.
Niko Downie, Business Development Manager for Shopify, said the holiday season is the ideal time to promote the partnership, with shoppers scrambling to get last-minute gifts delivered. Like rival Bigcommerce, Shopify is an ecommerce platform targeting small-to-medium businesses.
“Traditional order cutoffs are Dec. 20 or 21, so now people can shop later and get something delivered on Christmas Eve,” Downie said.
While the offer expires on Dec. 24, Downie said merchants can opt to continue to offer free same-day shipping, either with or without order minimums.
Downie would not provide figures, but said the campaign has resulted in “a big upswing” in UberRUSH orders by Shopify merchants. He said there are hundreds of participating merchants in the three markets.