‘I want it, and I want it now’ generation served
Only a few years ago if a consumer wanted a bed, sofa or wardrobe delivered on a Saturday or Sunday or indeed next day, they would likely have been left disappointed, but that has all changed thanks to two-man, white glove delivery specialist Panther Warehousing.
Its seven day a week delivery service is designed to meet the needs of a new generation of internet shoppers who want the same speed of delivery as they have come to expect for smaller items such as books and smart-phones.
The first to introduce next-day delivery to the two-man, white-glove sector, Panther has now taken its service to the next level by offering Sunday deliveries, extending its service far beyond the traditional service for heavy items.
With two-hour delivery windows on the day, cut-off times as late as 10pm and Bank Holiday collections for next-day delivery, Panther’s seven-day-a-week service is proving popular with consumers and retail customers alike.
Colin McCarthy, Chief Executive, Panther Warehousing, said: “Consumers have become very discerning about what they want from a retailer and one of the deciding factors is definitely the speed and convenience of delivery.
“They want the immediacy of the high street from the comfort of their home. It can make the difference between a retailer making a sale or not. People aren’t all able to take a day off work during the week to take delivery of a bed, sofa or new kitchen appliance and clearly such large items needs to be delivered to their home.
“Saturday and Sunday deliveries are the obvious answer, so it was a logical step for us to provide that service as we have always put our customers and in turn their customers at the heart of our operations.
“Consumer expectations are higher than ever before – people have come to expect that they order one day, will arrive the next, whatever day of the week that happens to be, and their expectations are the same whether it’s a book, bed or a super size American fridge.
“Our service offers total visibility, flexibility, convenience and choice.”
As well as its next-day service, Panther offers a “day of choice” option for customers who want to offer householders the opportunity to plan farther ahead when ordering large items as the finishing touches for a house decoration or move.
All of Panther’s services are underpinned by its innovative IT platform which provides total visibility and interface with the end customer throughout the delivery process. Text or email messages are sent the day before delivery, on the morning of delivery and crews will make a courtesy call to say they are on their way when they leave one address to travel to the next.
Since Panther first pioneered next-day delivery in the sector in 2011 it has gone from strength to strength. In the past three years alone turnover has more than doubled to £65 million by the end of 2018, during which time it has been included in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list of the fastest growing firms as well as receiving numerous other accolades.
It is a business which has always been at the forefront of the market and the launch of these new services is yet another example its ability to continually innovate.
With its headquarters at Northampton, Panther covers the UK via a network of nine strategically located regional hubs, employs a workforce of 400 which expands to over 800 during peak periods, and offers a dedicated storage facility.