With Amazon trialing a new Sunday delivery service for their orders late last year, are deliveries on a Sunday set to become the norm?
As if eCommerce couldn’t already be enough of a constantly connected shopping experience, Sunday deliveries take it one step further, cutting waiting times and allowing customers to almost instantly receive goods that they have purchased online.
The changing landscape of eCommerce
As the world’s largest online retailer, it almost falls naturally for Amazon to be the one to ignite massive change in the already constantly changing world of eCommerce. Launched late last year, Amazon’s new Sunday delivery offering has seen them team up with the United States Postal Service to begin delivering parcels on a Sunday in the US. Launching initially in Los Angeles and New York, the Sunday service is set to include Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Phoenix later this year. While the UK hasn’t been left out of Amazon’s latest offering either, Sunday deliveries have hit London too – albeit trialled using Amazon’s own delivery trucks and with only selected post code coverage currently.
Amazon has set the bar pretty high with this one though. As part of their trial, they have made Sunday deliveries available to their Amazon Prime customers – who currently receive unlimited free unlimited one day delivery – for no extra charge.
Could this be the future?
The questions posed by many now are ‘could this be the future’ and ‘will other retailers follow suit’, the answer…probably yes to both.
There are similarities between Amazon’s move and Sunday opening hours in the UK. It may be hard to believe but go back just 20 years and it was illegal for UK supermarkets and high street stores to open on a Sunday. Now this is considered the norm. The Sunday Trading Act of 1994 which granted permission for shops to open on a Sunday sparked a significant shake-up in retail in the 90s, now Sunday deliveries will almost certainly shake-up the world of eCommerce.
How a Sunday delivery can help your business
As an online retailer, Sunday delivery is definitely something you should be considering. In the constantly connected world we live in, people want things instantly. Customers aren’t averse to spending a little bit more to receive goods they have purchased online quicker. Delivery on a Sunday would be a very compelling offer for customers. There are customers who would decide not to make an order on a Friday as they wouldn’t receive it until the Monday, or perhaps possibly later. Sunday deliveries would change this.
This article was brought to you by TNT Direct, providers of reliable and efficient parcel delivery services.
