As consumers’ options of how to purchase goods have expanded
thanks to computers, mobile devices, brick and mortar locations and catalog
services, delivery options have changed as well. This shift to multichannel
retail sales has resulted in innovative solutions from two of the largest small
parcel providers. For example, in 2011,
UPS launched “My Choice” which offers customized home delivery services such as
rescheduling a delivery, delivering to an alternative location such as to a
neighbor’s home or to an UPS Store and requesting a 2-hour delivery window.
This week FedEx responded to UPS’ My Choice by introducing “FedEx
Delivery Manager”. This is a similar service by which FedEx Delivery also allows
package recipients to customize home deliveries and provide visibility to
deliveries. The service is available
through multiple digital platforms, including a mobile application and mobile
web browser.
Both services offer free and premium services. For premium
services, fees range from $5.00 to $10.00. In fact, according to FedEx’s fact
sheet concerning the service, “Use of some delivery options are available at a
nominal fee so customers only pay for the options they want, when they want
them. Customers are not locked into a premium-priced membership”. Indeed, UPS’
My Choice offers an annual subscription of $40.00 and as part of that most of
the individual fees are waived except for scheduling a 2-hour delivery window
($4.00 fee).
Although it is not known if the US Postal Service is working
on a similar solution, it is likely it will face pressure to offer something
comparable. The USPS is, however, showing off its innovativeness in other ways by
testing its same-day delivery service, Metro Post, with 1-800-Flowers in San
Francisco and also trialing a locker service called GoPost in Northern
Virginia.
While FedEx and UPS are also testing other ecommerce-related
services, their basic ground home delivery services are evolving to meet the
consumer’s changing needs. It would not be a surprise to see both FedEx
Delivery Manager and UPS My Choice tweaked a bit further to allow for more
options and flexibility – perhaps integrating delivery calendars into
consumers’ Outlook or Google calendars or maybe delivering to additional
alternative locations such as to a locker or convenience store or even a
one-hour delivery option for large metropolitan locations? The possibilities
are endless.
