Running Insight

one store," Fruth says. "But it's allowed us to take a role that was previously inventory management alone and convert it into a retail opportunity as well." Working to unlock the delivery puzzle Kim Bachmeier, co-owner of Fit TRI Run, a single- unit operation located in Galveston, TX, an island city on Texas' Gulf Coast, casually offered same-day delivery upon opening the store in 2009. Over the last five years, however, it's become a more formal program Bachmeier openly promotes in store and online. Fit TRI Run offers same-day, store-to-door delivery to anyone on the island. There is no restriction on the service, which means Bachmeier might deliver anything from footwear to gift cards. A customer simply calls in an order, pays over the phone and a store staff member – almost always Bachmeier – completes the delivery at no charge. "It's a special, personal touch for our customers and we want to provide above-and-beyond service," says Bachmeier, whose store makes about one delivery each month, though that number does tick upward around the holidays. Though Fruth says he hasn't seen much in the way of negatives during CRC's one-year run with same-day delivery, he acknowledges it remains a work in progress. Staff, he says, must buy into the effort, understanding the importance of collecting accurate customer information. Ridenour, meanwhile, is constantly monitoring online sales and reviewing inventory. "You need detail-oriented people here or you can waste your time and potentially disappoint your customer as well," Fruth says. One particular challenge for CRC has been bringing a personal touch to the rather impersonal experience of delivery. To that end, CRC has experimented with placing handwritten thank you notes alongside each order. That's something Bachmeier attempts to master at Fit TRI Run, where she'll even toss in complimentary giftwrapping around the holidays. "I like to add that personal touch customers just don't get with online shopping," she says. With Amazon eager to take over the retail world and consumer expectations constantly evolving, Fruth says he and his CRC colleagues are committed to developing offerings like same-day delivery that remove obstacles and keep CRC firmly planted in customers' consideration set. "The reality is that so many things are moving in this direction and we need to actively experiment to see what we can figure out," he says. n 10 runninginsight.com © 2018 Formula4media LLC. Same-Day Delivery (continued) Photo: www.locally.com RUNNING INSIGHT FOR HUNDREDS OF RUNNING RETAILERS ALREADY ON LOCALLY.COM a new offering from the online platform could ignite stores' ability to offer same-day delivery. In the coming months, Locally will begin rolling out same- day delivery capabilities across roughly 1,100 zip cods and 40 U.S. markets, Locally co-founder Mike Massey confirms. On the Locally site as well as those of brands who have integrated the Locally platform into their own e-commerce channels, guests will be able to view local inventory of a specific product and then select from available pickup or delivery options. When participating run shops receive a Locally.com request for same-day delivery, they can execute delivery themselves on their own terms, select their own third-party partner or use Locally's handpicked partner, Deliv.co, to make the insured delivery for a fee. Retailers pay nothing to participate on the Locally platform, though they do pay Locally a 3.5 percent fee on each transaction. "It's all at the retailer's discretion and we're trying to give the retailers flexibility," says Massey, an outdoor retailer himself. "Our ultimate goal is to transition that customer from seeing the product to getting it into their hands from a local store." With stores essentially functioning as the local warehouses of product, Massey calls Locally's same-day delivery functionality "Amazon built backwards." "We're taking the local presence and wiring it all," he says, adding that same- day delivery functionality elevates the visibility of local shops in today's 24/7 economy. "Consumers are moving more and more to on-demand and this gives the local retailer an additional weapon to compete. We know specialty run shops have the knowledge and service, but now they also have the ability to drop shoes on someone's porch within hours as well." Locally Readies Same-Day Delivery Opportunity

• Cover