Dive Brief:

• Belk now offers same-day delivery for orders placed on Belk.com before 2 p.m. ET, the company announced on Tuesday. 

• When customers order goods through the website and select "Same Day Delivery" at checkout, a Belk personal shopper will fill the order and deliver it to them by 9 p.m. Orders placed after 2 p.m. ET will be filled the next day, the company said. 

• The company will charge customers $9.95 for delivery of select merchandise on orders $49 and up and $14.95 on orders under $49. The company will denote items that qualify for same-day delivery with a special icon on the website, per the company statement.

Dive Insight:

Belk's introduction of same-day delivery follows its launch of contactless curbside pickup earlier this year. Belk CEO Lisa Harper said in a statement that the same-day delivery feature is part of the 133-year-old company's efforts to modernize its offerings for today's customers. 

Harper also said that the company was steadily growing its e-commerce offerings to "ensure our customers can shop whenever, wherever and however it best fits their life." Besides adding customer-facing digital improvements, the retailer has also tapped into artificial intelligence to manage its inventory. 

These efforts come as the company tries to modernize itself for the long-term and adjusts during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, the retailer laid off some employees, primarily in its corporate office, but a spokesperson for the company declined to say how many staffers were eliminated. 

Belk joins a growing list of retailers, including Michaels, Sephora and PetSmart, that have also recently introduced same-day delivery services. Target partially attributed implementing same-day services to its high second-quarter sales, including its best-ever comparable sales growth of 24.3%.