Retailers’ advantage over e-commerce giants: store networks

When customers discover something they like, they quickly come to demand it. Take same-day and next-day delivery. Once available only in extraordinary circumstances or at a steep price, many retail customers now want ultrafast delivery for all orders at little or no cost. In fact, nine in 10 online shoppers in the U.S. expect two- or three-day shipping to be free, according to McKinsey & Company.

crowdsourcing the secret to same-day delivery from stores

That puts great demand on retailers. While they can’t give up profits to ensure rapid delivery as easily as e-commerce giants like Amazon, they must compete with them to sell the same products to the same people.

Retailers have a unique weapon of their own: their store networks. The role of stores in fulfillment is already changing with options like buy online and pick up in-store. Retailers looking for an edge in the last mile can go a step further by using their store networks as the starting point for last-mile fulfillment.

To see transformational success with BODFS, however, all customers must get to benefit from the efficiency of store-based fulfillment, regardless of location or the complexity of their order. And that’s only possible when retailers can respond to customer demand in real-time. Enter crowdsourced delivery.

The power of the crowd

Download our playbook to learn how BODFS works and why pairing it with crowdsourced fulfillment gives retailers virtually limitless capacity to compete in the last mile. In the playbook, you’ll learn:

  • Basics to starting the last mile at brick-and-mortar stores
  • Pre-requisites to put in place before choosing a platform
  • Advantages of crowdsourced delivery over traditional couriers
  • How a leading home improvement retailer met unexpected spikes in demand with crowdsourcing

Ready to take the next step? Contact us to learn more about how Roadie’s platform can transform your buy online, deliver from store program.