Small Business Startup News
Amazon And USPS Team Up For Sunday Deliveries
Written by Tim Morral
Published: 11/19/2013
Amazon announces it has struck up a deal with the US Postal Service to offer Sunday deliveries to its customers.
Sometimes good business has a way of uniting unlikely bedfellows. For years, the US Postal Service has decried the rise of the Internet as the cause of postal demise--a convenient and immediate message delivery platform that all but negates the value of traditional postal letter deliveries.
But recently, Internet giant Amazon announced that it has reached a deal with USPS to provide Sunday delivery for its products. The agreement was a coup not only for Amazon, but also for USPS, which benefits from the lucrative package delivery market.
According to the Washington Post, the volume of letters sent via USPS has dropped by half over the past decade as consumers have opted to pay bills and exchange correspondence online. Although the Post Office would welcome Congressional approval to discontinue weekend letter delivery, it wants to retain the ability to deliver packages on weekends.
"As online shopping continues to increase, the Postal Service is very happy to offer shippers like Amazon the option of having packages delivered on Sunday," said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe.
Currently, the Post Office forces shippers to pay extra for Express Mail Service for Sunday delivery. But starting in New York and Los Angeles, consumers will be able to receive Sunday deliveries of Amazon packages at regular rates. The program will be expanded to the rest of the country next year.
For Amazon, the agreement with USPS for Sunday delivery represents a clear advantage, enabling the world's leading e-commerce provider to offer convenient seven-day delivery options at low rates--a key benefit since shipping processes can be choke points in the creation of exceptional customer experiences.
Industry experts point out that Sunday delivery is a key element of Amazon's future business model, which will likely include delivery of items within hours of placing an order--enabling the e-tailer to sell convenience products like milk or other perishables.
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