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6 runninginsight.com © 2018 Formula4media LLC. STORE TO DOOR IN ONE DAY? S am Ridenour is on a mission. And 12 minutes later, Ridenour accomplishes that mission when he approaches a residential door with a shoebox in hand and rings the bell. The 12-minute delivery represents a new same- day delivery record for Ridenour and the Columbus Running Company (CRC), nearly cutting in half the company's previous best of 23 minutes. "[Same-day delivery] is one more way for us to entice a purchase, one more way to eliminate any excuse for why someone is not shopping local," CRC co-founder Eric Fruth says. Ohio-based CRC officially unveiled same-day delivery in early 2017. Initially making 5-15 deliveries each week, those numbers have risen as customers have become more attuned to the service. Now, Fruth says, it's not uncommon for CRC to complete 4-8 deliveries each day. "Those aren't giant numbers," Fruth admits, "but also products we might not have otherwise sold." Fruth calls CRC's same-day delivery program a "game changer" and credits the program with "a decent amount" of CRC's growth over the past year. "It's a chance for us to get cash in the drawer and save the customer a trip," Fruth says, adding that same-day delivery has spurred a greater percentage of completed sales, improved the company's inventory management capabilities and boosted customer satisfaction. The rise of same-day delivery Answering society's accelerating need for immediate gratification and shifting competitive pressures, same-day delivery of retail goods is becoming more commonplace. Retailers ranging from regional grocery stores to national chains like Target continue adding and promoting same-day delivery, many intrigued by the service's potential payoff. Same-day delivery is viewed as a way to gain market share, slow the march of competitors, strengthen customer loyalty and support advanced pricing and incremental service fees. A 2017 report from Boston Retail Partners (BRP) found that 51 percent of retailers were offering same-day delivery, up from 16 percent just one year prior. Within two years, BRP predicts that number will grow to 65 percent, largely RUNNING INSIGHT BY DANIEL P. SMITH