American Apparel promises one hour delivery in US

Internet Retailing

24th Mar 2016

American Apparel, the US apparel retailer which emerged from bankruptcy earlier this year, is partnering with on-demand logistics provider Postmates to offer on-demand delivery to US customers looking to buy and receive basics within an hour.

The new service will be offered in 79 of the clothing brand’s stores nationwide, and spans 31 metropolitan areas. Consumers will have the ability to order over 50 of American Apparel’s core items for men and women. In an effort to grow the clothing company’s mobile and user experience, the consumer will receive their order within 60 minutes, instead of the traditional four to five days it takes through standard shipping methods.

“American Apparel is improving its omnichannel consumer experience via Postmates by becoming their first major fashion retailer to offer ‘on-demand basics’,” said Thoryn Stephens, American Apparel’s chief digital officer.

“You’ll be able to receive hoodies, t-shirts, socks and more within a sixty minute delivery window — it’s great for traveling or last-minute needs. For the second phase we’re integrating the experience with RFID for real-time inventory availability.”

American Apparel is providing Postmates with RFID real-time inventory that allows them to display the most up-to-date merchandise offering. The participating American Apparel retail stores will have access to the merchant app, Postmates Order via an Android tablet, which will display them directly on a terminal in the store. This will allow the American Apparel retail team to retrieve and package the order while the Postmates driver is on his or her way to pick it up. 

“The combination of American Apparel’s real-time, local inventory paired with Postmates’ superior delivery technology and national footprint is changing the way customers can access their favorite brands,” said Holger Luedorf, Postmates’ SVP of business. “One or two day shipping is no longer an option — we are creating entirely new customer expectations.”

American Apparel previously tested the service with Postmates in major cities such as New York and San Francisco with limited marketing and reported positive results.