American retail businesses have been severely hit by the after-effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. The ensuing lockdown has halted their operations, forcing thousands of them to shut down. This has resulted in bankruptcy filings, laying off thousands of retail store employees, and a general sense of fear and gloom.
The decision comes in the wake of Postmates hiring of a top Nike executive, Mike Buckley. The former Nike high-ranking executive was in charge of Nike’s digital commerce division, a role, which he would be required to take forward during his time with Postmates.
Industry insiders are closely watching the move made by the decade-old leader in the pickup and online delivery space. While some are cautiously optimistic, others believe that this ecosystem already has a shark in it- namely Amazon!
In this article, we are going to analyze Postmates new offering in detail. We are also going to understand whether postmates coupon is available for consumers who choose to shop through the retail options.
Why Postmates decided to get into the Retail Offerings space now?
In the last few years, Amazon has hegemonized the retail space in a major way. However, there are certain problems with Amazon’s model and this is what Postmates is trying to exploit.
It believes that struggling stores looking for better opportunities and consumers looking at retail buying options can benefit deeply from its massive fleet member delivery strength. The company has already made rapid strides in this area, already zeroing in on the Los Angeles retail market.
If Buckley is to be believed, Postmates has already started working with more than 50 top retailers in LA and plans to sign several hundred onboard the platform in the coming months.
Just to give you an idea about the kind of retailers we are talking about, the LA crowd will testify that 12th Tribe, Voltaire, Buck Mason, and Le Labo are some names, which are the very soul of the LA shopping experience.
While shoppers love the experience of these retail stores, they are hesitant to visit the shop, pay at the cash counter over virus fears. Through the Postmates App, and its specific new tab entitled ‘Shop’, users can virtually visit the store offerings and buy them directly.
Why are Retail Stores interested in the Postmates Online Platform?
We have already mentioned how dropping sales and customer fears have necessitated stores to look for newer options.
However, no one wants to invest in a new delivery fleet, set up proper e-commerce, and invest in logistics at a time like this. Retail stores are looking at zero-cost more credible options to drive sales with minimum inputs. This is where Postmates as an offering appears to become very advantageous.
Postmates users are already trained to jump on flash sales, discounts, and limited period coupons. The intention is to drive the same intention to the retail space and lure people who order food to make purchases.
The Shop Tab allows users to see all the store inventory on offer. They can browse the collection, make their selection, and given the times we live in, opt for three kinds of no-contact deliveries-
- Curb-side pickups and deliveries
- In-Store pickups
- On-demand delivery
Will the New Postmates foray into the Retail Space work?
While it is too early to tell or prophesize about the future, there are certain reasons why most believe it will be successful. One major reason is the person helming the entire feature, Mike Buckley. He is famous for being a renowned technocrat who has experience in blending technology with sales and marketing.
The second reason is that retail stores are now looking to explore any digital or tech avenue to help them get back to pre-COVID levels of sales and revenues.
They want their customers to discover and engage with their brands and products in new and interesting ways. With the Postmates app, this is looking like an imminent home run.
While LA has been picked up for the pilot project, the aim is to stretch the offerings beyond the city and foray into the major centers on the West Coast in 2021. This would be followed by the East Coast cities getting attention somewhere around 2022.
