Basking Ridge, N.J. — Verizon Wireless became the first U.S. wireless carrier to offer same-day delivery of cellphones and other products ordered on a carrier website.
The carrier has begun a pilot program in Philadelphia and, “in the near future,” plans to offer same-day delivery in New York City, Dallas, San Francisco and Pittsburgh. For the service, the carrier is shipping from Verizon-owned stores near the purchaser.
New and existing Philadelphia-area subscribers who purchase phones with or without accessories must order online by 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Delivery is guaranteed by 7 p.m. The cost is $19.99 compared with the priority overnight delivery fee of $14.99.
Like before, consumers can also opt to pick up online orders at a local store.
Verizon said it is joining such retailers as eBay, Amazon, Walmart and Google in testing same-day delivery services in select cities.
The carrier cited a Boston Consulting Group study in saying that “affluent millennials,” or consumers ages 18 to 34 with six-digit incomes, are the most likely to take advantage of same-day delivery. The report said this group is 56 percent more likely than the average online purchaser to choose same-day delivery.
