PETstock adds faster delivery options with Zoom2u

Internet Retailing

17th Aug 2016

Family-owned pet retail company PETstock has partnered with on-demand courier service Zoom2u to give online customers faster, more reliable delivery options. Express, same-day and overnight delivery options are now available to PETstock customers in Sydney and Melbourne, while those in Adelaide, Canberra and Perth can expect to get the service by October.

The decision to make Zoom2u a standard delivery option for customers in major capital cities comes after a successful four-week trial in Sydney and Melbourne. PETstock operates more than 130 stores across Australia and New Zealand, with plans for more store growth over the next year.

Andrew Gibbs, general manager of multi-channel at PETstock, said that customers will be able to select three-hour and same-day delivery for orders placed by 1400 from as little as $15 and have their orders waiting for them when they get home from work or school.

“Like many retailers, aligning freight timelines across Australia with customer expectations can be a challenge. This coupled with many standard freight delivery times, which have got longer in the past year, has meant that the delivery of our products is not matching the customer experience online.

“In June, PETstock undertook a manual trial with Zoom2u in five stores across Sydney and Melbourne and offered customers a three-hour express delivery service. We found the service popular and customers loved the experience,” Gibbs said.

Before going live with Zoom2u, PETstock had received customer complaints about the speed of online deliveries. “Our customers were telling us that they were home all day and no-one knocked on the door, then they found a card in their letterbox requiring them to visit a collection point to collect their order. Since we started the trial with Zoom2u, customers have started telling us how thrilled they were with their delivery – it has definitely exceeded customer expectations,” Gibbs said.

Zoom2u has established its own network in Australia, which ensures deliveries are managed fast and reliably. The courier service also enables customers to track their delivery status via smartphone in real time, so they don’t need to wait around for a courier.

Steve Orenstein, founder and CEO of Zoom2u, is pleased to be able to help PETstock deliver customer orders fast and conveniently. “PETstock like so many Australian retailers were being hamstrung because the convenience and speed of ordering online hasn’t been matched by an efficient national delivery service. A customer may have a great experience online with a business when purchasing an item from their store, but if the item is difficult for the customer to receive or takes them time to find or chase, they’re unlikely to use that service again,” Orenstein said.

PETstock is also using Zoom2u to move stock between stores to meet special customer requests. “For the first time we can offer to get a particular product sent to the customer’s local store within three hours, which supports our goal of providing our customers a world class retail experience,” Gibbs said.

With the service now live in five stores, PETstock has improved its speed to market overnight. “We can now offer our customers a range of delivery options that suit their budget and preferences across traditional post and on-demand. If they choose Zoom2u they will enjoy the benefit of being able to track their order in real time via smartphone instead of wondering when a courier will arrive or standing in a lengthy post office line,” Gibbs said.