In response to the growing threat of Amazon and its annual Prime membership program, eBay announced a new program that will offer online shoppers guaranteed..
In response to the growing threat of Amazon and its annual Prime membership program, eBay this morning announced a new program that will offer online shoppers guaranteed three-day delivery on 20 million eligible products — “millions” of which that will also include free shipping. “ Guaranteed Delivery ,” as this initiative is called, will roll out in the U. S. starting this summer.
Already, 67 percent of eBay’s transactions ship for free and 63 percent are delivered within three days. The move, then, is more about formalizing these perks in a commitment to online shoppers. Ebay says that if the guaranteed item arrives late, eBay will refund the shipping cost, or, if it shipped for free, the buyer will receive a coupon toward their next purchase. Ebay also will offer free returns on those late-to-arrive items, it says.
“While the majority of items on eBay already ship within 3 days or less, as well as for free, Guaranteed Delivery will give shoppers even faster delivery options and the confidence that their items will arrive on time,” said Hal Lawton, Senior Vice President of North America at eBay, in a statement about the new program.
It’s hard not to see Amazon’s influence at work here — especially as eBay notes that consumers will also be able to search its site and filter for items by 1- and 2-day deliveries, too.
Shoppers’ desire for more instant gratification on their online orders has set a new precedent in the e-commerce market. It’s no longer acceptable for deliveries to take weeks, or for sites not to inform customers about when — exactly — their orders will arrive. The need for this sort of enhanced transparency and communication is fueling new businesses that operate as a layer in-between the store and consumer, in fact.
