The race to same-day delivery

Amazon’s latest announcement about faster delivery is the new normal for retail, according to Fortune.

The company recently said it plans to invest $800 million so that its Prime member subscribers can receive merchandise in one day. However, according to Fortune, competitors such as Walmart and Target, with hefty online businesses themselves, haven’t been caught off-guard.

“One-day free shipping…without a membership fee. Now THAT would be groundbreaking,” tweeted Walmart in response to Amazon’s latest delivery method, teasing plans to cut its free two-day shipping (for purchases $35 and up) down to one, while making a reference to Amazon’s annual $119 Prime membership.

Retail equity analyst John Zolidis told Forbes that Walmart CEO Doug McMillion told him in October “that same-day delivery, not one-day delivery, was going to be the real battleground.”

And Target is among larger retailers that have already made strides toward that goal.

“Today, Target guests have numerous ways to shop same-day and receive their purchases within hours,” Target told Fortune in a statement. “We have a range of options that make shopping easy and convenient, including our in-store shopping experience and delivery from Shipt in nearly 250 markets.”

To read the Fortune article, click here.