Online Sales Spark Ground Delivery

February 23, 1999 12:25 PM, EST

NAPLES, Fla. — The Internet revolution is enabling more than just online chats. As people make more and more purchases with their personal computers, the demand for expedited package services, especially as delivered by truck, is expected to increase.

At least, that is what a panel of shippers, truckers and freight forwarders decided at the annual transportation conference Feb. 10-12 sponsored by the New York investment firm, BT Alex. Brown.

Judith Bitterli, vice president and general manager of the World Wide Web for Micron Electronics, said her company has seen a shift back to ground transport away from air delivery of small packages. Online customers of her company, which sells computer hardware, choose ground delivery 70% of the time.

The reason, said Bitterli, is that Micron’s use of the Web and other automation processes has led to such dramatic reductions in the time between when an order is placed and when it is shipped that customers feel less of a need to pay the extra cost for air express.

For the full story, see the Feb. 22 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.