tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8101650681625776421.post3346311927520069640..comments2020-03-14T09:00:01.388-04:00Comments on Fifty Thoughts to the Dollar: E-commerce same day deliveryAndyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848690893096081256noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8101650681625776421.post-23338298369487602612012-10-23T00:25:12.067-04:002012-10-23T00:25:12.067-04:00Duane Reade is a bad example. They already have ma...Duane Reade is a bad example. They already have market share leadership in Manhattan, so the potential for reaching more consumers is limited. As a convenience store, it's unlikely that existing consumers will buy *more* products than they already do, since you don't really need extra basic necessities.<br /><br />I really like the middleman/warehouse distinction. One-stop shop warehouses (Walmarts/Amazon/Freshdirects of the world) are probably most likely to get same day delivery first, since it's simply a matter of automated logistics.<br /><br />What's more interesting is the middleman model. I was thinking what if someone could find a way to market and sell a simple to use inventory and booking software (just like Opentable's table booking system) and decentralize and outsource delivery people/vehicles/machines... but then I realized I was just describing Kozmo.comAndyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16848690893096081256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8101650681625776421.post-24080672380077631842012-10-21T11:18:10.947-04:002012-10-21T11:18:10.947-04:00The model is very different, and I hadn't thou...The model is very different, and I hadn't thought of Middleman vs giant warehouse model. Still, I don't think this is out of reach. <br /><br />Imagine a Duane Reade website that allows you to order delivery from Duane Reade. It would work like this:<br /> 1. You place an order online, selecting the goods that you want.<br /> 2. An online system figures out the closest Duane Reade to your delivery location for each item in your order, and informs that store's employees of the part of that order they need to fulfill.<br /> 3. After your order is assembled in a bag or box (possibly at multiple Duane Reade locations), it is delivered via bike/car/moped to your door, within minutes (or hours depending on distance and order traffic) of your order.<br /><br />While I think there are some difficulties in this model (Duane Reade now needs an online order system, deliverymen and people to package deliveries) I still think its feasible. Steps to improve could be: 1) online-only (no brick and mortar store, just a warehouse) 2) locations throughout a city, but more sparse than Duane Reade, 3) minimized inventory which will make everything easier for storage, distribution, 4) automated item collection and packing because its cheaper and faster.Lucashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11918958476595439974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8101650681625776421.post-20328064697910019622012-10-20T11:56:32.841-04:002012-10-20T11:56:32.841-04:00hmm. i think amazon (as a "digital walmartish...hmm. i think amazon (as a "digital walmartish" model instead of middleman) is different from a seamless/grubhub model (middleman), and these differences are mainly limiting and discourage a 1 day/hrs delivery model.<br /><br />ie. instead of working out a deal with small business owners to deliver, they need to deliver themselves. which is a lot harder because they have 1 centralized warehouse ve small business = spread out around the city so it's much closer to delivery location.<br /><br />and also now you need to stock a billion things. vs multiple small business owners combine to give the diverse offering.<br /><br />Conradhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12305096156961556175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8101650681625776421.post-81621910256705760402012-10-13T19:09:33.203-04:002012-10-13T19:09:33.203-04:00Same day delivery is awesome, but I think Kozmo.co...Same day delivery is awesome, but I think Kozmo.com's 1 hr delivery is even better (though it failed). I think its a fantastic idea, though probably limited to just the most commonplace essentials (soap, milk, etc) and not large purchases like televisions and furniture.<br /><br />Freshdirect and Amazon have made it super easy to get deliveries of basics and necessities, but I think a big step up would be if you could get those deliveries in 3-4 hours, 24 hours a day instead of having to schedule a delivery or wait until the next day. It's a pain in the ass when I run out of milk after 10pm, which is when the supermarket next to me closes.<br /><br />By limiting the breadth of your inventory and establishing yourself in a small city, I don't see why this can't be done. Tons of small business owners are already doing this - just look at Seamless and Grubhub.Lucashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11918958476595439974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8101650681625776421.post-14491261620976401282012-10-13T14:17:54.374-04:002012-10-13T14:17:54.374-04:00Like you said, it really depends on the product. C...Like you said, it really depends on the product. Can't see it being profitable for anything other than daily necessities and small goods.<br /><br />However, if we get automated cars like the ones Google/Stanford are working on, combined with Kiva, we could potentially have a completely automated logistics chain. That would be epic.Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16848690893096081256noreply@blogger.com