Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Same day delivery is pretty much the Quidditch match of the retail world. Companies are all deploying various strategies to one-up each other, but no one has caught the elusive golden snitch to be declared the victor. Along the way, the whole game is proving to be expensive. Re/code reports that Google has sunk around $500 million into free six-month trials of its Google Shopping Express, while UPS shelled out $1.27 million in parking tickets in 2013.
Startups like SF's Deliv are trying more nimble strategies —like utilizing existing retail centers and crowdsourced couriers— but lack the robust infrastructure for widespread execution. Now, NY-based startup WunWun has a plan to offer free instant delivery (well, within an hour). And if it can actually follow through on a large scale then it just may have caught the little flying ball. But in the world of empty promises, we've got to see it to believe it.
· Can "Instant" Become a Viable Business? [Re/code]
· Will Deliv Dominate the Same-Day Luxury Market? [Racked SF]