Kate Lester, CEO and founder of Diamond Logistics, explains Same Day Delivery.
Same Day delivery is a term which can be misconstrued. So let me make it clear: it’s a dedicated bespoke delivery which moves something from A to B. If something is urgent, important, fragile or valuable, the best way to get it delivered is by a Same Day courier. We’ve been doing Same Day delivery at diamondlogistics for nearly 30 years, so we know what we’re talking about.
Typical examples of products which require a Same Day delivery service include:
Pathology: Blood and tissue samples which are extremely time critical
F1: Time critical automotive parts for an upcoming Grand Prix event
Legal documents: Court papers handed to a Barrister on the steps of London’s central Court, the Old Bailey
Live events: Exhibition stands and marketing materials with complex delivery instructions
At diamond, we have numerous stories of successful Same Day deliveries in unusual circumstances. The infamous Guildford to Edinburgh tender document delivery worth £82m which was too important to leave to the minimal chance of overnight failure (and yes they won the tender). Or the F1 driver’s visa hand–delivered to Monaco to ensure the sports star in question could make the Chinese Grand Prix.
diamond has been proud to deliver urgent medical supplies, especially in this past year, assisting the Same Day delivery services aligned with Covid-19 Testing Sites and with the delivery of urgent blood transfusions.
But I don’t need it delivered on the Same Day…
Some of the confusion around Same Day terminology, is that the name focuses on, well, the delivery taking place within the Same Day. Yes, this is an option, but the real power behind a Same Day delivery, is that the customer can demand very specific delivery instructions. The most important thing to remember, is that it’s a bespoke and controlled service. That’s why it’s used to deliver legal documents in the 11th hour to criminal courts, and so on.
Examples of Same Day instructions from our customers:
(Do any of these sound like something you would request?)
“The flight is leaving in three hours. Meet him outside terminal 2 with his passport at 3pm.”
“The customer is elderly and cannot lift it themselves, so please take it straight to the garden.”
“Put the wine directly into the cellar for the customer.”
“The customer is on the fifth floor and the lifts don’t work, please use the stairs.”
“Please carry it upright.”
“Call 30 minutes before you arrive.”
“This sample must get to the laboratory asap. You will need to wait for the results and courier them back so this patient can receive treatment today.”
“The engineer must receive the part within the next two hours as the entire network is down and we are being charged £10k per 10 minutes down time.”
Same Day fulfilment
Now of course, we’re seeing an evolution of eCommerce which is demanding Same Day fulfilment. Argos have got this pretty nailed with multiple goods available for Same Day delivery from local branches. The truth is, Argos was local fulfilment centres long before the term micro fulfilment was even considered. But most retailers have struggled to do this. A few years ago it was trialled with firms like Shutl but failed to gain major traction. But now, with eCommerce so prevalent, and consumer patience at an all-time low, Same Day is a natural next step.
diamond can do traditional Same Day deliveries nationally – picking up from A and delivering to B (primarily B2B). But we also do Same Day from our 30+ fulfilment sites – direct to consumer. This can apply to anything from Stand Up Paddleboards (SUP) to photocopier spare parts.
Because of our national network, Same Day delivery to the consumer is a comfortable reality for our retail partners. The Same Day approach which we’ve mastered with our critical deliveries, can now be applied to our (less critical) consumer deliveries.
Consumers clearly attach a value to Same Day delivery. In a recent representative survey conducted by McKinsey in Germany, France, Sweden, and the UK, 50 percent of respondents indicated that they would be willing to pay Same Day delivery costs of EUR 6 to 7 for a EUR 59 purchase.
Paying for delivering is back in vogue, and paying for a Same Day delivery for a pair of shoes is a natural next step that we must see coming.
If you’re a retailer and you want to find out how Same Day delivery can benefit your business, complete the following form:
