LOGISTICS
LOGISTICS
Amazon offers support to start delivery business in the US
E-COMMERCE giant Amazon has launched a new Delivery Service Partner programme that helps entrepreneurs build their own companies delivering Amazon packages.
Amazon said it will take an active role in helping interested entrepreneurs start, set up and manage their own delivery business. Successful owners can earn as much as US $ 300,000 in annual profit operating a fleet of up to 40 delivery vehicles. Individual owners can build their business knowing they will have delivery volume from Amazon, access to the company’ s delivery technology, hands-on training and discounts on a suite of assets and services, including vehicle leases and comprehensive insurance.
The offering provides technology and operational support to individuals with little to no logistics experience the opportunity to run their own delivery business. To help keep start-up costs as low as US $ 10,000, entrepreneurs will also have access to a variety of exclusively negotiated discounts on important resources they will need to operate a delivery business. The deals are available on Amazon-branded vehicles customised for delivery, branded uniforms, fuel, comprehensive insurance coverage and more.
“ We have great partners in our traditional carriers and it’ s exciting to continue to see the logistics industry grow,” said Dave Clark, Amazon’ s senior vice-president of worldwide operations.“ Customer demand is higher than ever and we have a need to build more capacity. As we evaluated how to support our growth, we went back to our roots to share the opportunity with small and medium-sized businesses. We are going to empower new, small businesses to form in order to take advantage of the growing opportunity in e-commerce package delivery.”
One of Amazon’ s beta participants in the new offering, Olaoluwa Abimbola, had prior experience running his own business but not in logistics.“ I was driving for Amazon Flex when I learnt about the opportunity to start my own delivery company. Backed by Amazon’ s resources and logistics experience and its encouragement to‘ learn while I earn’, this opportunity was a no-brainer. In
Over time, the Delivery Service Partner programme will empower hundreds of new, small business owners to hire tens of thousands of delivery drivers across the US, according to Amazon.
just five months, I have hired more than 40 employees, and it’ s encouraging to know that any driven individual can use Amazon’ s support and the Delivery Service Partner community to build a successful, thriving business,” he shared.
Amazon added that this new offering continues the company’ s long-time commitment to enabling small and medium-sized businesses to grow with the rising tide of e-commerce. ra
APAC consumers lead the way in drone delivery
SHOPPERS in Asia-Pacific are some of the most confident when it comes to the concept of receiving drone deliveries and making payments via autonomous technology, according to new research from payment processing company Worldpay.
The research examined the viewpoints of 20,102 consumers across 10 global markets, including China, Singapore and Australia in Asia-Pacific. Consumers were asked about their opinions in relation to the Internet of Things( IoT); specifically, how comfortable they are with the concept of drones and whether they would be happy to allow these machines to deliver parcels or collect returns. The research found that shoppers in the region are more comfortable than their global counterparts when it comes to drone delivery.
For example, 70 % of consumers in
China and 52 % in Singapore are comfortable with drone delivery, demonstrating more confidence than shoppers in Europe or the US. Meanwhile, Australia is slightly more cautious than regional counterparts, with 43 % of consumers comfortable with drone delivery and 66 % of Chinese consumers are comfortable with the notion of having a drone collect any unwanted items or returns, as compared to 45 % in the US and 41 % in the UK and Germany.
Phil Pomford, general manager for Asia- Pacific, Global Enterprise eCommerce at Worldpay, said:“ Shoppers in Asia-Pacific are once again eager to lead the way in trying out new shopping technology and experiencing the future of retail sooner. Online merchants are already trialling drones capable of delivering packages at lightning speed, and as shoppers become more comfortable and confident with autonomous technology, we can expect to see many opportunities for connected devices to make consumers’ lives easier.”
The growing presence of online shopping has made Asia-Pacific a busy market for parcel delivery. However, there has also been the rise of parcel fraud, leading to missing items or fake courier scams, which threatens to damage consumer confidence.
Pomford added:“ This is where payment technology will play an important role. By verifying the identity of the recipient before releasing the parcel, our proof of concept is an example of how technology can address the common problems associated with home delivery. The volume of parcels in transit will only increase, as shopping online increasingly becomes the channel of choice for Asia- Pacific consumers.” ra
22 Retail Asia August 2018