Furniture Retailer Article Launches ADT Delivery Program

Digitally-native furniture and home décor retailer Article has launched an in-house delivery program in Los Angeles and New York.

The company’s Article Delivery Team (ADT) will handle the “final mile” of delivery, bringing items from a distribution center directly to the buyer, with the aim of eliminating the issues related to delivery of large items such as furniture.

And the service seems to be working out well. The company revealed that in areas where ADT was piloted, negative customer feedback was reduced by up to 83 percent. Article has also been able to cut average delivery time by two days, and the company plans to expand the program to additional major North American cities over the next 18 months.

ADT teams are staffed by uniformed, company-trained delivery personnel who are authorized to immediately resolve customer issues, including rescheduling delivery appointments or shipping alternate product sizes or colors.

“Since inception, we’ve worked with carefully selected local delivery partners who meet our high standards for service,” Article CEO Aamir Baig said, according to Chain Store Age. “We’ve decided to take final-mile delivery to the next level with ADT. In-house delivery gives us a tighter feedback loop which helps us iterate on the process and create experiences people look forward to.”

Major retailers are also taking control of getting their products directly to the consumer. Target bought Shipt in December 2017 for $550 million, and the retail giant now provides same-day service for in about 200 markets through 46 states, with plans to expand the service this year.

“We’re always looking for ways to make shopping Target’s selection even easier,” said John Mulligan, Target’s chief operating officer. “With Shipt, same-day delivery became a reality for our guests across the country, making Target the first retailer to offer the service coast to coast.”

And Amazon has continued to test out its own in-house delivery solutions like its Scout robotic delivery assistant.