As retailers wrestle with rising consumer expectations, FedEx Corp. has launched an expedited parcel service supporting both two-hour and end-of-day delivery options.
Memphis-based FedEx says it created the service through a collaboration with OneRail, a Florida-based last-mile delivery solution company.
The new “FedEx SameDay Local” offering will let shoppers choose two-hour or end-of-day delivery directly at checkout. The service will connect FedEx customers to a national network of more than 1,000 delivery providers, coordinated through intelligent orchestration. Orders are then automatically matched to the appropriate vehicle and driver, dispatched quickly, and tracked with live updates from pickup to delivery.
According to FedEx, the accelerated options are necessary because consumers don’t just expect “as fast as possible” delivery for every order—they increasingly want more choices. For example, some purchases need to arrive immediately, others must come within a precise time window, and sometimes shoppers want the most economical option and are willing to wait.
The FedEx service was announced a week after Amazon introduced faster delivery options with new 1-hour and 3-hour options. The Seattle-based online retailer and logistics service provider (LSP) said customers in a growing number of cities and towns can now get over 90,000 products delivered to their doorstep in three hours or less.
That network includes 1-hour delivery now available in hundreds of cities and towns across the U.S., and 3-hour delivery in over 2,000 cities and towns. Consumers can check if their area has 1-hour or 3-hour delivery by visiting www.amazon.com/getitfast.
Since its launch in 2015, Amazon Same-Day Delivery has expanded to offer delivery on millions of items to customers in more than 9,000 cities and towns across the U.S. According to the company, its Same-Day Delivery sites function as highly efficient hubs that enable the full lifecycle of an order under one roof, from fulfillment to final delivery. Over time, this integrated approach, coupled with its predictive AI inventory placement algorithms, has streamlined the picking, sorting, and fulfillment processes to enable even faster delivery speeds, Amazon said.
