Same-day delivery has become the latest battleground for both competitive e-commerce and express delivery sectors.
KEX Express (Thailand) Plc, an express parcel delivery firm, recently introduced a same-day delivery service.
Meanwhile, the Logistech Association Thailand is urging regulators to tell e-commerce platforms to allow sellers to have their own options for delivery providers.
A need for speed
KEX’s same-day service covers Bangkok and surrounding provinces, including Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Sakhon and Samut Prakan.
The service includes the urgent delivery of snacks, fruit and important documents.
The service also meets the needs of e-commerce businesses, such as sellers of gadgets or electronic devices whose customers often require immediate use of the products, as well as small businesses looking to differentiate themselves and better cater to the demands of modern consumers.
Stephen Bao, chief operating officer of KEX Express (Thailand), told the Bangkok Post the same-day service is not meant to compete with any specific player.
“Our focus has always been on delivering the highest service quality and value to our customers,” he said.
“We recognise the growing demand from both individual and corporate clients for greater speed, reliability and flexibility, and our same-day service is designed to meet that evolving need.”
This service is part of KEX’s broader direction to elevate its service portfolio — moving beyond standard delivery towards premium, time-definite and customised logistics solutions, said Mr Bao.
J and T Express offers J and T Super as a premium delivery service for fast and secure parcel shipments within a guaranteed time frame, with same-day delivery available in Bangkok.
If a parcel arrives later than promised, customers can immediately request a refund for the shipping fee upon receiving it.
Lazada offers a priority delivery service within 24 hours for sellers, covering major provinces, but the merchants need to use its delivery fleet.
Shopee has same-day delivery in Bangkok and suburban areas, and the sellers can use their preferred fleet.
According to TikTok’s new rules effective as of Oct 1, sellers are required to send products to customers on a same-day basis for orders placed before noon.
If they fail to do so, points will be deducted. TikTok is giving sellers a one-month grace period to adjust to the new rule.
Kongkrit Lawlertratana, head of marketing commercial at Shopee Thailand, said it is focusing on increasing the speed of delivery times.
The company offers instant delivery within four hours on the same day by leveraging its ShopeeFood riders.
FAIR COMPETITION
Sutthikead Chantarachairoj, president of the Logistech Association Thailand, told the Bangkok Post that same-day delivery service benefits consumers, though it puts pressure on merchants. If they fail to deliver on the same day as promised, the platforms might deduct points. This approach could coerce sellers to use the platforms’ fleets or those of their partners.
He said e-commerce platforms have a large volume of parcels and prefer to use their own fleets to gain a better profit margin for fullfilment and delivery service.
“You may notice how many delivery providers are still operating compared with 3-4 years ago,” he said.
Mr Sutthikead said the association has been working with the House of Representatives’ Committee on Economic Development to coordinate with the Electronic Transactions Development Agency and the Trade Competition Commission to address unfair issues in the digital platform industry.
Sellers should be free to choose their preferred delivery providers, while minimum and maximum pricing for shipping fees and platform service charges should be set, he said.
When major sellers pay for advertising on e-commerce platforms, the payment goes overseas, not to a Thai location, resulting in a loss of opportunity to gain additional tax revenue, said Mr Sutthikead.