FedEx is expanding e-commerce delivery options for retailers with 'FedEx Extra Hours,' a service that enables participating retailers to fulfill e-commerce orders into the evening and receive late pickups by FedEx Express, with next-day local delivery and two-day shipping to any address in the continental United States.
Retailers can extend evening order cutoff times by 5-8 hours, with some as late as midnight, depending on their current order fulfillment process, the company said. FedEx Extra Hours recently launched with customers including AutoZone and Best Buy in multiple markets across the United States.
Commenting on the new e-commerce delivery option, Brie Carere, senior vice president and incoming chief marketing officer for FedEx, said: “Demand trends and consumer expectations in e-commerce are shifting, and the size, scale, reliability and flexibility of the FedEx networks uniquely position us to offer this new service that answers a clear consumer need: evening shopping with next-day local delivery and two-day shipping within the continental United States.
“The majority of online orders are placed after 4 pm and 64% of online shoppers expect orders placed by 5 pm to qualify for next-day shipping. FedEx Extra Hours aligns with the needs of online shoppers, while offering retailers a way to balance inventory and reduce transportation costs,” she explained.
FedEx underlined that 'Extra Hours' is the latest in a line of e-commerce and retail offerings that it has launched to meet the evolving needs of retailers and online shoppers who want fast and convenient shipping options, especially during the busy holiday shopping season.
“The scale and flexibility of the FedEx networks align perfectly with the ‘always-on’ mentality and expectations of shoppers,” Carere noted. “We can flex our networks to provide new e-commerce offerings with fast, reliable service even during the busiest weeks of the year.”
FedEx added that as part of an ongoing commitment to make online shopping easier, it continues to work with major retailers to offer consumers convenient and secure e-commerce shipping solutions.
These include FedEx Onsite, a US network of 10,000 alternate delivery locations including select Albertsons and Kroger grocery stores, and more than 8,900 Walgreens stores across the country. FedEx also offers ‘hold at location’ services at all 1,900 FedEx Office sites across the country. Shoppers can choose to have their packages delivered to any of these locations and pick them up within five business days.
Walgreens recently announced an expansion of its relationship with FedEx with Walgreens Express, a pharmacy delivery program that offers prescriptions to Walgreens customers as early as the next day.
Sprint, Walgreens and FedEx also recently teamed up to offer an option in which Sprint merchandise ordered online could be delivered via FedEx to participating Walgreens stores across the country, as part of the FedEx hold at location offering.
FedEx Office is also working with Walmart to roll out an anticipated 500 in-store pick up and drop off locations in the next two years.
“80% of the US population lives within five miles of a FedEx hold location,” Carere added. “FedEx is committed to working with retailers to offer their customers a portfolio of options that make sense for the ways they are shopping and shipping.”
