Dive Brief:
- Brooks Running Company is partnering with Locally to launch same-day delivery to customers in 10 U.S. cities including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York and Seattle, the company announced in a press release. Locally will soon begin to offer the service in 25 additional U.S. cities, it said.
- Stores will fulfill orders and deliver items through one of Locally's partners, Deliv or Postmates.
- The same day delivery fee starts at $5 and is determined by store proximity, operating hours and the time an order is placed, per the release.
Dive Insight:
This move comes as the company has made other investments in improving its operations. Brooks Running Company stated it has enhanced its customer service team and created a Fast Track application, which lets store associates drop-ship Brooks goods to shoppers. These investments, along with the launch of same-day delivery, are aimed at increasing sell-through rates.
“In addition to delivering gear to runners within 24 hours, Same-Day Delivery will create new sales for our specialty running accounts by introducing new customers to their local stores,” said Brooks Running’s vice president of U.S. specialty retail accounts Rick Wilhelm in a statement.
Other retailers, including Home Depot, CVS and Walmart, have also introduced same-day or next day delivery options into their offerings, pitting them against competitors like Amazon. Petco also recently partnered with Shipt to deliver pet food, grooming products and other goods to pet owners within the same day.
Consumers have increasingly turned to same-day delivery, and retailers have offered same-day delivery on their own or turned to third-party delivery services to meet the demand, research from the retail management consulting firm BRP has previously shown. However, retailers will need to be mindful of same-day delivery’s costs and potential pitfalls as they aim to satisfy shoppers’ speedy expectations.