Dive Brief:

• American Apparel has partnered with Postmates to offer U.S. shoppers delivery of its Basic garments within an hour. 
• The brand will offer more than 50 items for on-demand fulfillment, including men’s and women’s T-shirts, hoodies, and socks.
• The on-demand service will be offered in 31 metro areas, with 79 of American Apparel’s physical store locations providing fulfillment.

Dive Insight:

American Apparel is Postmates’ first in-app apparel partner; the delivery network so far handles mostly carryout food orders in many locations. Postmates previously partnered with Revolve to deliver clothing to people at SXSW and Everlane to test out its Everlane Now service in San Francisco. Everlane continues to use Postmates through its API to offer on-demand delivery in San Francisco and New York. 

“You’ll be able to receive hoodies, T-shirts, socks and more within a 60-minute delivery window,” Thoryn Stephens, American Apparel’s chief digital officer, said in a statement. “It’s great for traveling or last-minute needs.”

American Apparel will use the RFID-powered Postmates Order application to display real-time inventory information for the more than 50 basics available for on-demand delivery. Store associates can view and locate items bought online immediately and prepare them for pickup by a Postmates driver, shaving 15 to 20 minutes off delivery times.

Consumer expectations for speedy deliveries have increased with Amazon Prime’s free two-day shipping and same-day services from Prime Now and Google. With a robust network and a “General Store” of replenishment goods in its biggest markets, Postmates can facilitate instant delivery of things people want fast.

“One- or two-day shipping is no longer an option,” said Holger Luedorf, senior vice president of business at Postmates. “We are creating entirely new customer expectations.”