What was the upside created with the introduction of the internet? In 1992, during the wake of the invention of smartphones, the internet became a powerful force in our trade and social environment through the use of applications and websites like https://www.amazon.com/ and https://www.ups.com/us/en/Home.page. Over the years as technology continued to advance so did many E-commerce companies whose sole mission is to link the seller of a product and the consumer by ordering the product through a website or application and it gets delivered to your doorstep through your laptop or smartphone hence upscaling convenience. Amazon over the years has proven to be a force of nature in the commerce business leading to it being listed on the stock exchange in May 1997 and later S&P 500 company in November 2005. Let’s know, ‘Does Ups Pickup On Sunday For Amazon’?
The Game Changer
What are Amazon and UPS? In perspective, Amazon is an E-commerce company founded, in 1994, by Jeff Bezos whose headquarters is in Seattle, Washington. Originally it starts as an online store for selling and hiring books to reading enthusiasts. Its slow but progressive success led to its expansion into the consumer goods market which was a new thing at the time. True to its moniker “The Everything Store” one can order anything ranging from electronics to clothes, anywhere in the world and get it delivered to your doorstep by the click of a button on your gadget.
United Parcel Services, better known as UPS, is an American air shipping and supply chain management company founded in 1907 whose headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia. Being one of the world’s largest shipping couriers, it offers services in air shipping on overnight or two-day basis and delivers it to your local post office for the last mile delivery.
For familiarity, these are the three steps in shipping a product through UPS;
Step 1: Get your package ready
- After packing your product in a box, seal it with tape.
- For multiple items, pack the separately with cushioning material.
- Note the dimensions and weight of the box.
Step 2: Create a Shipping Label
A shipping label is a descriptive label that is used to describe and identify the contents of the box. You can take it to your nearest UPS store, or better still make the label online.
- First, you’ll choose how fast you want the package to arrive.
- Check on the cost.
- Pay by PayPal or card, or you can pay in-store when at a UPS location store.
Step 3: Pickup
Thereafter, since it’s online, you can schedule a pick up at your address or drop it off at a UPS location near you which you’ll have to carry along your identifications.
The issuer is later given a shipment number, which is shared with the recipient, which is essential upon pickup. The recipient is sent a tracking number which you will use to track the movement of the product to your doorstep.
The Merger
Due to the enormous and overwhelming demand and supply that Amazon had been subjected to because of its upscale and spread throughout America, Europe, and Asia, it had to request a bilateral partnership of third-party shipping and postal company like UPS which was a good and established competitor in the delivering sector. Their partnership was significantly an upside to both companies due to their mobility in delivering the best consumer experience in E-commerce in terms of delivery and pickups. UPS was forced to expand its operations including the days and time of operation since it is a 24/7 business.
In May 2020 UPS announced its shift to working on a 7-day basis for deliveries and pickups because of being under pressure to speed up deliveries. The effects of COVID-19 led to the rise of a pandemic in the whole world leading to total or partial lockdown in most states in the USA including New York which is one of the business capitals in America, its roll-up was delayed till later 2021.
Conclusion
Since UPS is dependent on United States Postal Services (USPS), pickups and deliveries became slow and not trustworthy to the consumers. Amazon saw to it by pushing third-party shipping companies like FedEx and UPS out of its market channels by creating Amazon Delivery. This is its system and channel of delivering goods to one’s doorstep where the service is available with the help of full-time drivers and their latest introduction of self-delivering robots. Due to its credibility, it assured its customers of Free shipping and speed which to me are the two primal rules to a surety in credibility. Leading to the one question, why would you use UPS for the pickup of a product yet Amazon offers the same services in a more lucrative?
