""Tired of competing on price with online retailers, bricks-and-mortar chains are experimenting with same-day delivery. So far, few such services are available in sprawling Southern California....""Businesses are in existence to serve customers. At least they are supposed to. When a business is not faced with significant competition they tend to get "fat and happy" and start to serve their own interests. Perhaps not on purpose, but inertia seems to push them in that direction.
It usually takes some "disruptive" idea, technology or improvement in efficiency by a competitor to shake them up.
Lots of talk about how Amazon.com is crushing "brick and mortar" retail. Probably inevitable that they will.
But I like that storefront retail IS at fighting back. This takes effort, investment and new thinking regarding resources on the part of management to serve its customers.
Intense competition forces businesses to think about how to get their products into the hands of customers in the least expensive and most expeditious manner possible.
Disruption in the corporate boardroom because of competitive forces is a GOOD thing for the consumer. Make them sweat to better serve us. Works for me.
This seems like another way the Postal Service can improve its situation as well. They already have the routes, vehicles and people in place to serve this niche (but so does UPS and FedEx!). If they can move quickly perhaps they can get a large share of this market. As the article notes, there are companies already lining up that would like to have this business.
""...Next week, the U.S. Postal Service begins an experiment in San Francisco. It's partnering with about 10 retailers, which have yet to be announced, to offer same-story delivery around the city, said spokesman John Friess....""
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