Revolutionary Amazon rival Jet.com will transform e-commerce, say retail delivery experts
ParcelHero says Jet.com is a game-changer, and asks when it will land in the UK
There’s a new kid on the e-commerce block, and one that could be as revolutionary as Amazon was on its launch 20 years ago. International airfreight comparison site ParcelHero, an e-commerce fulfilment specialist, says the new US site Jet.com will be a game-changer in the industry, thanks to its unique cost saving approach to logistics.
ParcelHero’s David Jinks MILT says Jet.com successfully took off in the US on July 21 having raised $225 million for the new e-commerce service. The new site already has some 1,600 retail partners, and is selling some 10 million products. David says Jet’s claim that its customers will receive ‘the lowest price on anything they buy online’, is viable because of its innovative approach to deliveries.
Explains David: ‘The site makes much of its money from customers’ initial subscription of just under $50 – rather like Amazon’s Prime membership. For this it promises to offer prices that are 10-to-15% lower than anywhere else. How Jet keeps its prices low is because of its delivery options: products start at about 8% cheaper “up front”, but the site then offers additional discounts when shoppers combine multiple orders into a single shipment, which cuts delivery costs. The more customers bundle purchases, the more the discount increases.’
David reveals one other clever way Jet keeps costs down is by asking customers to waive the ability to return something. ‘By offering customers the option of not returning items, in exchange for further savings, Jet has the potential to reduce its costs significantly. Once an item has been returned twice no one makes money on it; and some sites are experiencing up to 60% returns on items such as clothing.’
And there’s one other delivery option that also reduces prices and costs dramatically. ‘Buyers will also make savings by waiting for their orders. By pushing slower economy shipping offers, Jet won’t be competing on speed but price,’ says David.
David says the skies for Jet look clear so far. Jet is led by Marc Lore, a founder of online retailer Quidsi -- including diapers.com and soap.com – which he sold to Amazon in 2011 for $545 million. ‘The new company is concentrated on its logistics. Lore has spent $40 million on hiring 300 people; opening warehouses in Kansas, Nevada and New Jersey; and taking losses through subsidized prices.’
Could the newcomer be coming to the UK anytime soon, and what would it mean to existing retailers? David says: ‘It was only three years from Jeff Bezos mailing the first book sold from his garage before Amazon.co.uk arrived. The UK is the most obvious place for a US e-commerce site to expand to first, as we share the same language and the UK is a significant online market. It would certainly give those UK-based marketplace traders who have relied on Amazon or eBay up till now another high profile outlet. UK eBay seller’s site Tamebay have already stated: ‘it’s certainly something we’d like to see over here.’
ParcelHero’s recent industry report – Amazon’s Prime Ambition – details how the original industry disruptor plans to fight off new competition through building its own logistics provider, Amazon Logistics.
For more details of how to find the best delivery mailing options see: https://www.parcelhero.com/en-gb/courier-services/compare-courier-prices
For more information please contact David Jinks, Head of PR, on david@parcelhero.com or by phone on 0208 7584962 (07772 055748 out of office hours)
Leading international online courier ParcelHero® strategically partners with the world's leading, logistics companies, including DHL, UPS and DPD to provide a flexible, cost-effective range of parcel delivery services to over 220 countries worldwide. Huge bulk purchasing power allows ParcelHero® to offer highly competitive pricing with no compromise in service quality.
Tags:
