Living in the mountains, I do a lot of my shopping online. We don't have any big box stores up here, so it's either drive sixty miles to the nearest Wal-Mart or scope Amazon for deals on whatever it is I'm looking for. But even with a world of items right at my finger tips, I still find myself frustrated from time to time with the online shopping experience. My biggest peeve? Waiting for packages in the mail. When you need something, and you need it sooner rather than later, it can be an agonizing experience waiting for your purchased goods to ship.
Amazon is aiming to ease that pain, and they're partnering with an unlikely ally to do so. Starting on November 17th, Amazon will officially offer Sunday delivery, in partnership with the United States Postal Service. This won't encompass the entire United States though. Sunday delivery will be limited to Los Angeles and New York initially, with plans to expand the service to Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, New Orleans, and a few others next year.
Sunday delivery is definitely something that affects the purchase of products, according to Forrester Research analyst Sucharita Mulpuru. "Delivery on a Sunday would be very compelling for consumers. There are certainly people who decide not to make an order on a Friday because it won't get there until Monday."
I'm one of those people, and I'm sure there are many of you out there that have skipped ordering a product on Friday because you knew you'd be at a brick-and-mortar retail location on Sunday. Availability of products and immediacy is the main focus here, and according to Amazon it is one of the main things that keeps online shopping from being on a level playing field with physical retail stores.
This sales-boost attempt may come with some struggles though. According to Mulpuru, Sunday devliery "has to be much more expensive than other days." Neither Amazon nor the USPS commented about potential rate hikes, or the length in which their partnership is in effect. This move may come with a small amount of scrutiny for Amazon as well. After all, it isn't exactly new news that that USPS is struggling to stay afloat financially.