UPS International Inc Taiwan Branch (優比速) yesterday unveiled its new “eFulfillment” program with guaranteed two-day delivery, in a bid to help local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) manage their products on 21 e-commerce platforms.
The US-based UPS launched the program globally earlier this month, enabling its corporate clients to handle storage, order processing, packaging and shipping all in one portal, managing director Sam Hung (洪毅) told a media briefing in Taipei.
Clients would be able to customize delivery time for their products, but the program guarantees two-day delivery from the delivery company’s warehouses in the US to consumers in the US or in Canada, Hung said.
“The guaranteed two-day delivery is our advantage amid the intense competition in the logistics industry, as customer expectations are rising, and faster and efficient service is desired,” Hung said.
Given that it usually takes one day to transport Taiwanese companies’ parcels to the US, once an order is made on any one of the 21 e-commerce platforms, the packages could be sent from Taiwan to North American consumers within three days at the soonest, Hung said.
The 21 online stores include eBay, Walmart, Yahoo Shopping and Amazon, but clients need to register and open accounts with the platform operators first, he said.
Local SMEs could develop their e-commerce business with UPS’ warehouses, as some e-commerce platform operators require the partners to store goods in the US before the order is made, hoping to protect consumers, Hung said, adding that it is almost impossible for a small Taiwanese firm to set up its own storehouse in the US.
The firm’s Web site said that clients would be billed a minimum monthly fee of US$1,000 for the management service and shipping, but the Taiwanese branch said that the price would be flexible, depending on clients’ customization.
“This new program is expected to be our new engine generating revenue this year, as the nation’s economy relies on exports and many SMEs wants to boost their sales through e-commerce channels,” Hung said.
He said he believed that local companies in the technology and consumer electronics sectors would be the most interested in the program, as they value efficient delivery.
“We want our clients to focus on research and development and upgrading their products, while we take care of the delivery,” he said.
UPS saw its delivery volume continue to grow last year, with 22 weekly flights to and from Taiwan.
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