FedEx Corp. will deliver to customers` homes 250,000 copies of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" tomorrow, the first day the book goes on sale on Amazon.com, FedEx says. In a preparation that began in February, FedEx has arranged for delivery through a coordinated effort of 20,000 home-delivery contractors, its FedEx Ground truck fleet and 130 scheduled FedEx Express flights. "The takeaway from this for other retailers is our proven ability to leverage different parts of our delivery network to meet the specific needs of one company," a FedEx spokesman tells InternetRetailer.com.
FedEx will transport the Potter books from five Amazon distribution centers to FedEx hubs and terminals by tractor-trailer and FedEx Express flights, then sort shipments at each hub for deliveries to homes that begin at 8 a.m. Eastern time tomorrow. FedEx also integrated its online shipment tracking information directly into Amazon`s web site, so Amazon customers will be able to directly track their shipments.
This is the second time FedEx has worked with Amazon to enable single-day delivery of an expected huge order. In July 2000, FedEx distributed 250,000 copies of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" to Amazon customers on the same day the book went on sale.
FedEx is only handling U.S. shipments for customers that requested standard or higher forms of shipping, for which Amazon paid to upgrade them to same-day shipping. Other shipments within and outside of the U.S. are using other delivery services.
Amazon reports 1 million pre-publication orders for the book, while Barnes & Noble.com reports several hundred thousand pre-orders.
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