US start-up company launches delivery service to face giant competition

Compared to the huge Amazon logistics system, rapid logistics startups still have a long way to go. Introduction: Foreign media today, the United States has many start-ups are testing the water express market, to seek the help of smart phone boom, the delivery of goods on the day, but they will face Google, Amazon and other technology giants big challenge. The following is the full text of the article: failure teaches countless startups have made unremitting efforts to seek the "holy grail" in the field of electronic commerce-the goods were delivered to the customer's home or office on the day of the order, but all attempts failed.　　Postmates, an internet start-up company in San Francisco, this month launched the day delivery service, hoping to effectively combine the business with the smartphone boom to succeed. Postmates CEO Bastian Lehman, Bastian Lehmann, said: "We are looking for a one-day delivery of local orders, just as FedEx delivered the goods overnight to customers anywhere in the United States." We certainly won't turn a blind eye to the failure history of the courier industry startups, but we won't be afraid of that. "Postmates was created last year, with 1.5 million of billions of dollars invested by VC companies such as angel investors and Matrix Ventures, but there are also challenges." Prior to this, many companies in the express industry had promised to deliver the goods to users after a singular hour, such as the the late 1990s kozmo.com and Licketyship, which was founded in 2005, but the two startups failed, Kozmo　　is constrained by the high cost of building a courier network, and licketyship because it is not possible for the retailer to sell goods directly from its website. Intensified competition at the same time, the technology giants have also entered the day delivery industry, thereby exacerbating the market competition. People familiar with the matter said that Google was now actively preparing to provide such services so that goods purchased from a large retailer's website could be delivered on the same day, while large retailers would shop in stores near users.　　In addition, Amazon (Weibo) has launched a delivery service on a specific commodity in 10 U.S. cities, including New York and Chicago, with an additional 9 dollars. Lehman said that Postmates was different from the day before the delivery company, because the company is trying to use the smartphone boom and the cost of such devices to reduce costs, the implementation of Intelligent Express business management, lower operating costs.　　In addition, more and more retailers are launching online services, directly to the net buyers to sell products, virtually increased the number of business delivery companies. Lehman said, with the previous express industry start-up companies, with the progress of mobile technology, courier can "their geographical location information into a system, then the courier company can be intelligent way to allocate orders, thereby improving the delivery efficiency of the courier." "Intelligent management right now, PoStmates's business covers only the San Francisco area and has established partnerships with 10 businesses in the city, including bakeries and clothing stores. These businesses do not currently provide online booking business, also has been unable to provide customers with fast delivery services.　　Once the customer asks Postmates to deliver and pay for it, the merchant can send a message to the Courier's iphone, which is closest to its storefront, via iphone, ipod Touch and ipad, asking if it has a free receipt.　　Postmates in the entire San Francisco area, there are about 30 courier, some of them are not affiliated with any express company, although some work in the Express company, but in the spare time can undertake other business: if it is appropriate, they can click a position tracking mobile phone application button, to accept this single business. If the city short express delivery business, Postmates will charge 10 dollars to the merchant, if the long-distance business outside, the charge standard of 45 U.S. dollars.　　Postmates from 25% to 40%, the remainder of the courier owned. Some venture capitalists say the companies in the express industry still face many challenges. "Postmates must be equipped with enough couriers to cope with the sudden increase in business if it is to succeed," said Chosh Alman, partner of Greylock Partners at VC Company. At the same time, Postmates also need enough stores, customers and trading volume, so that The courier will have a job to do, so as to maintain cooperation with Postmates.　　"Greylock has not invested in Postmates. Create value some local businesses in San Francisco said Postmates did bring them a lot of convenience.　　For example, the bicycle shop burritos bicycle of the San Francisco Church district (burritos District) often transports bicycle racks back from a frame paint factory through Postmates Express service. According to Brian Kenny, the store's business director, Postmates charges $20 per Kinney, while burritos bicycle was sending staff to rent cars to receive bike racks, compared with the Postmates service, which saved a lot of money. "It's really a good business tool," he said. Lehman said that, so far, Postmates on average received a few single express delivery business every day. It is reported that Postmates currently has a total of 6 computer programmers, a web designer and a sales manager.　　Lehman said he expects the company to expand its business to New York or Los Angeles next year, but admits that the expansion of the express business is difficult and that successful experience is difficult to replicate in different markets. Chris Nier (Chris Neal) is PostmatEs the only one full-time courier. He says Postmates is attractive because "you can pick up an express order you want to do without having to listen to a company." "Last week, Neil received a single business from Postmates, who needed to send over 10 cakes from the Marina bakery that takes the cake to a client in the financial district." Neil said that in the process of delivering the cake, his iphone rang again two, that is Postmates sent a new express business orders, but because he was too busy to take into account, and finally by other courier first step. (Xuan Chen)