Macy's to Test Free Same-Day Delivery in Select Markets
Macy's announced that it will be testing free same-day delivery in 30 markets for orders of $75 or more starting on Oct. 1. Though the department store first began offering same-day shipping in 2017, the pilot is the first time Macy's will ship orders for free, allowing shoppers to bypass the $8 fee. Orders placed before noon Monday through Saturday, as well as before 10 a.m. on Sunday, will be delivered the same day with the help of the company's existing partnership with delivery service Deliv.
Total Retail's Take: The shipping wars continue as retailers compete to get products into online customers hands’ faster. How retailers do that — without charging for shipping, mind you — is a challenge to companies’ bottom lines. Free and same-day shipping is expensive for retailers to execute, and one has to wonder if it's worth the effort. According to a study by Deloitte, speed of delivery is less important to consumers than cost of delivery. In fact, 88 percent of shoppers said free shipping is more important than fast shipping. In the end, is it worth sacrificing margin or losing money to deliver online orders same-day? Macy's will be testing to find out.
