Internet Deliveries

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Bernie, why do you pay high ATM fees? I don't - I can't stand them! My bank doesn't charge me to use their ATM, so I plan out my cash widarthwals judiciously. As for min. balances, not every bank has them. Why aren't you shopping around? Banks HAVE to make money somehow. When interest rates are low, it's got to come from fees. Bad loans? Stupid banks that made bad loans should have been punished for it. Instead, they got a shovel full of money thrown at them from the government. If you had a child who did something bad - say stole money to buy a toy, and you gave them candy, do you think that child would ever change their ways? No. It's that simple.

Please! We need the smaller carriers to graduate to the year 2013 to better serve internet retailers. They have no web order entry, no web tracking...

There are numerous white glove delivery companies that deliver to the lower 48 states and specialize in furniture. Sunbelt, Sun Delivery etc. And then majors like CEVA, HDUSA, 3PD. Some of the majors are not the greatest and some have been fantastic. All of our products are white glove deliveries, weigh 200-500 pounds. We only ship with the major white glove companies. The larger major companies have websites for tracking, order entry, and more that the small guys dont. We dont need more options.

In fact, I have called Cory 2 times in the past year for rates and nobody has ever gotten back to me.

Pat,

I am sorry, but I have to correct you. There are several companies I can think of, right off hand, that offer a last mile service nationwide. My own company, Last Mile Home, exclusively offers last mile home delivery service for large consumer goods. Our lowest service offering is inside the front door, or customer's first prefered dry area. We also offer White Glove, White Glove with assembly, White Glove with installation (for electronics and appliances), as well as deluxing of furniture and in home repair. We offer those services to every zip code in the contiguous united states, Alaska and Hawaii. In fact, one of our top level managers, Mark Fierek, sits with you on the board of the Specialized Furniture Carriers Association.

Pat,

AS some other comments have pointed out, there are choices for nationwide and/or last mile delivery (without endorsement I have worked with outfits like HomeDirect and Exel in my past). I am not sure there is any entity that will offer a perfect solution, but there is room for improved standards, particuarly as previously mentioned with regard to better end goods. And yes it is absolutely critical that eCom players have a clearly defined and communicated policy for delivery and service needs; delivery time and tracking, repair, replacement and return. Of course this is most critical in a national, large service area, model.

At MicroD, we are all about encouraging and enabling the hybrid model; a local brick and mortar retailer engaging in eCommerce. And we encourage the focus on the local marketplace. If manufacturers and local retailers work together now to support each others needs for online marketing and sales, then the local retailer can service, retain and grow with their local consumers.

So internet deliveries are plagued with challenge, but if our industry will look inward to the local distribution networks built over decades of tedious work, address policies that encourage local eCom and provide the digital assets needed for success, then we can alleviate some of long distance service issues and insure generations of successful partnership to come.

Pat,
I think your point is well taken, but you missed one very important part of the equation...THE CUSTOMER! The customer has to be educated to such an extent that they know what they're getting, from whom, and what their options are in the event of damages (especially from a no name, no recourse carrier). Many on line retailers advertise white glove delivery, but in reality it's a sidewalk delivery. With knowledge there must also be accountability on behalf of everyone involved. The customer has to understand that with a "cheap price" there are always strings attached. Do I have to repack and ship back at my own expense. Will the credit card company credit my account because I don't like it or it doesn't fit in my room. The best salesman in the furniture industry is the delivery man who has placed the furniture in the consumers home and reinforces their purchase. Whether you're a brick and mortar retailer or an internet retailer, with furniture you only get one chance...and word of mouth can destroy you.
Pat, your efforts in this area are to be commended, and forming a partnership with everyone out there can benefit all.

Pat,

The Interet marketplace is definitely a very under served niche in the e-commerce marketplace. I believe if the right carrier can demonstrate the value of last mile delivery to an internet based retailer, a very lucrative relationship awaits. I believe something like this is well worth exploring.

Pat,
You are right, we have to do a better job with education for these retailers. We need to show them that specialized carriers can offer the delivery experience that their customers deserve. We have the innovation, where I think that the nationwide companies miss the boat is in the prep, deluxing and the education for the delivery teams to handle fine furniture. All the nationwide companies that I have incountered does the lower end furniture real well, but can't seem to grasp the upper end well. If a nationwide provider can provide that kind of service then the sky is the limit for that provider. It can be done if a company is ready to invest in the education and innovation you are talking about.Remember the old saying the delivery is not the end of the sale but the beginning of the next one. Understanding that will get nationwide companies to the next level.

Pat,
Thanks for starting to address these issues,however I would like to add some points.A lot of e-commerce Companies have gone out of business or limited their big box offerings due to high returns and freight claims that go unanswered and unpaid due to "he said, she said" circumstances.According to most shippers and most vendors they all have a less than 1% return. Some one is not living in the real world.In my opinion returns and damages would go down if suppliers packaged their items better and if shippers had on going education (turn over) for their employees. The customer who is the last delivery on a Friday needs to have the attention that a Monday customer has. Vendors, shippers and re-sellers must improve communication so the end consumer is thrilled with their delivery.