Retailers have some additional shelves to stock this holiday season — in their warehouses.
With online holiday sales expected to grow once again this year, Wal-Mart, Target, Nordstrom and other retailers are building more warehouses to handle shipments, the Associated Press reported last week.
“You’re going to have to invest … because that’s what people are going to expect,” Mike Koppel, Nordstrom’s chief financial officer, told investors recently.
The Seattle-based department store chain recently opened a third warehouse Pennsylvania to process online orders. This eventually will allow Nordstrom to move orders to half its customers in two days, the AP reported.
Two-day delivery is becoming a standard demand of many shoppers. The top 40 online retailers currently average four-day delivery time, according to data company Stella Service.
The Postal Service is working to help retailers meet consumer demands by investing in new equipment and technology to handle increased package volumes.
Busy shoppers welcome the focus on faster deliveries.
“I would like to plan ahead, but [I] wait until the last minute to get things done,” said Keri Early, an Illinois resident and frequent online shopper.