It sounds weird for Amazon, an online eCommerce site, to compete with Target, but it is happening. Among America’s general merchandise retail corporation has expanded its next-day delivery services, so it can compete with rivals, such as Amazon and Walmart.
Next-day delivery is a faster shipping option. In here, an order is delivered to the customer on the business day following the day the order was placed or picked up. For instance, if you placed your order on a Friday, it won’t arrive until Monday, but placing the order on Thursday lets it get delivered to your doorstep on Friday.
This is a quicker delivery option than standard shipping. It is designed to deliver the products to your doorstep within a 24-hour window after the order is processed.
Target announced earlier this week that it is expanding its next-day deliveries to 35 metro areas, which cover over half of the United States’ population, by the end of October this year. As the service expands, more surprises and perks will arrive by next year, adding over 20 cities.
However, it’s small steps for now. Target’s chief supply chain and logistics officer, Gretchen McCarthy, told Ridesharing Forum that the next-day delivery has only reached 20 percent of the population. San Diego, Orlando, and Tampa are among the cities to get this new service.
Target has already been offering same-day delivery to over 80 percent of the population, with two-day shipping to 90 percent of Americans.
Last year, Amazon took the initiative and expanded the number of same-day delivery areas for Prime members by over 60 percent, serving around 150 metro areas.
Walmart also won’t let it be behind the pack. It announced it has delivered over seven billion units via its same-day and next-day delivery over the past year, reaching 95 percent of the population with next-day or two-day shipping, ridesharing media reported.
Last August, Walmart revealed it was expanding its next-day delivery services to New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta.
This move from Target will significantly help it recover from a sales slump. It sales figures dipped 1.9 percent in the second quarter of this year. Plus, this was also caused by the backlash over some of the merchandise, citing that, at that time, it had “experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work” and that it would be “removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.” Yikes.
Target has also been critical of the Trump administration after its boycott calls. Moms are agreeing to this.
But, then again, new horizons for Target are underway. Last month, its new COO, stated this: “I am eager to refocus our strategy and build on the assets and capabilities that have made Target a beloved destination for incredible products and a one-of-a-kind [shopping experience. To be clear, we have work] to do to reach our full potential. Now’s the time to take full advantage of our strengths, embrace change with pace and purpose, and regain our momentum.”
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