Matthew DeCarlo
Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Best Buy has announced that customers who order products online will enjoy free next-day deliveries on thousands of items—basically anything that isn’t a big screen TV or refrigerator.
In its announcement, the company notes that its free next-day delivery will be provided to about 99% of Best Buy customers who are ordering items such as headphones or tablets. The company already offers same-day delivery in 42 US metro cities and orders completed before 3PM local time (2PM on Sundays) can be delivered on the same day that the order was placed. For everyone who isn’t within the 42 US metro cities where same-day delivery is available from Best Buy, the store still provides free standard shipping.
Additionally, you can opt for Store Pickup and your local Best Buy will have the item ready for you within an hour. The company notes that 70% of Americans live within 10 miles of a Best Buy store and about 40% of online sales are picked up in stores. Lastly, select markets have a “Curbside” delivery option that lets customers pick their goods up without getting out of their cars.
Best Buy’s decision to provide free next-day delivery comes not only as the 2019 holiday shopping season is kicking off, but also as competitors such as Amazon are working to implement their own same-day or one-day delivery services. It’s noted that while Amazon requires shoppers to have a Prime subscription for same-day or free one-day delivery, Best Buy won’t require any memberships or minimum purchases to receive free next-day delivery.
That said, the retailer didn’t hesitate to mention that it does have a membership program which doesn’t cost anything and grants access to exclusive offers such as first dibs on Best Buy’s Black Friday sale prices, as well as weekly promotions for Apple products.
It’s not clear whether Best Buy will continue its free next-day delivery initiative after the holiday season and it will be interesting to see whether Amazon, Walmart or any other major online retailers respond by introducing a similar no-membership-required program, as shipping speed has been one of the main points of competition between these companies.
Source: Best Buy
