DISCUSSION
Best Buy is ready for Christmas with free next-day deliveries for almost everyone
Written by George Anderson
Photo: Best Buy
Best Buy is looking to make some news ahead of the holiday selling season. Yesterday, the chain announced the launch of free next-day delivery on thousands of items that it sells online, with no minimum purchase or membership required.
The new service covers a wide range of products, although not some of the bigger ones such as wide screen televisions and refrigerators. Best Buy estimates that around 99 percent of its customers are eligible for the service. Those who are not still qualify for free standard ground delivery on their orders.
The retailer’s announcement follows similar moves made by rivals Amazon.com and Walmart earlier this year.
On Amazon’s first quarter earnings call in April, CFO Brian Olsavsky told analysts that the e-tail giant was well into the process of standardizing delivery times for Prime members from two days to one. Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimates that Amazon has over 103 million Prime members in the U.S.
In May, Walmart announced it was rolling out its free NextDay service and expected to have it available to about 75 percent of American consumers by the end of the year.
Best Buy emphasized that it has other convenient options to connect its customers with the products they purchase. The chain’s store pickup service has proven a hit with customers. Forty percent of online sales are picked up at one of its physical locations. In select markets with curbside service, customers do not even have to get out of their cars. For those who prefer to have orders delivered, Best Buy makes same-day deliveries in 42 metro markets around the U.S.