“Why the U.S. Postal Service Can Win the Battle for the Same-Day Delivery Market” in Forbes
01/14/2014
Despite a slow start to its same-day delivery program for e-commerce purchases, the U.S. Postal Service is in a strong position to challenge FedEx, UPS and other competitors in that potentially lucrative market.
USPS began testing same-day delivery, under the brand name of Metro Post, in San Francisco at the beginning of 2013. It promised delivery by 8 p.m. of packages tendered by 2 p.m. on that day. In December, it extended the pilot to New York City.
The San Francisco launch did not generate much excitement. “We found only a dozen or so folks willing to go with it,” said Harry Whitehouse, chief technology officer and co-founder of Endicia, a provider of electronic postage and shipping services through the U.S. postal system.
Whitehouse said success of the new service requires a change in thinking by potential customers and e-tailers. “You have to modify your website and some of your behavior.”
