Online retail is forecasted to reach $500 billion by 2018 worldwide, as well as Same-Day Delivery at $987 million by 2019. E-commerce is growing in the Middle East and expected to increase to $20 billion there this year. It’s no reason why SOUQ.com, the Middle East’s largest online retail and marketplace platform, has announced that it will be launching same-day delivery there.
Arabian Supply Chain reported that SOUQ.com will begin offering the same-day delivery for “Fulfilled by SOUQ” (FBS) in Dubai for all online orders placed by 3pm. It is the first e-commerce business in that region to launch this type of service, with hopes to expand throughout that area. More than likely, the service will be established and optimized in Dubai, then SOUQ.com will implement it further.
“Our primary objective is to deliver the highest quality products and a service as efficient and quick as possible to our customers,” said Ronaldo Mouchawar, SOUQ.com CEO & Co-Founder in the article. He also stated, “With the Fulfilled by SOUQ (FBS) program, we manage the fulfillment and logistics for third-party sellers, saving them time and money, and our home-grown logistics arm Q-Express as well as our partnership with WING.ae provide us with the most efficient delivery service in the region with real-time order tracking. We believe that our same day delivery and SOUQ delivery promise initiatives are a huge step forward in corresponding supply with customers’ demand and further making online shopping experience seamless and enjoyable.”
Mouchawar has the right strategy, shifting beyond traditional online shipping, which is what several big name retailers are doing. In recent years, Amazon has aggressively invested and implemented same-day delivery around the world. The e-retail leader has free same-day delivery in 27 major US markets such as the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Seattle-Tacoma, Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston, New York, Chicago,Indianapolis, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Washington DC, Orlando, Nashville, Raleigh, Richmond, Tucson, and Atlanta. Amazon launched free same-day delivery in Toronto and Vancouver, in addition to Amazon Prime in London. Google, Wal-Mart, Macy’s, Alibaba in China, Best Buy, and more are all on some level utilizing fast delivery.
SOUQ.com COO Wisam Daoud commented about what the service will do for their business. He stated, “This innovative initiative is one of the region’s first- enabling customers to choose from the largest assortment of products and categories at the quickest turnaround. This landmark service will allow customers to buy their products in just a few clicks and receive their purchases just a few hours later- a testament to our constant endeavor of utilizing technology and our operational expertise to further drive the e-commerce growth in the region.”
Whether it is the Middle East or US, it is clear that retail is evolving into having omnichannels that offer seamless operations between online and physical store shopping. 1-800 Courier is a great example of how any retailer can quickly enter the market of same-day delivery and get product moving. The Los Angeles Courier will develop a sound delivery solution and perform on-time deliveries for the convenience that retailers and their customers are looking for.
Reference: 11.10.16, www.arabiansupplychain.com, ASC Staff, SOUQ.com enhances logistics with same-day delivery
