Startup Deliv Widens Same-Day Delivery, Following Google

More same day delivery guys popping up and Westfield is making commitments. Aivars Lode avantce

Startup Deliv Widens Same-Day Delivery, Following Google

The drive for ever-faster delivery shows no sign of abating.

Ahead of the crucial holiday shopping season, Silicon Valley startup Deliv, which offers same-day delivery from malls and stores like Macy’s M -0.14%, is set to announce an expansion on Monday to four new metropolitan areas and 18 shopping centers.

Deliv’s expansion follows Google’s recent moves to offer its Google Express same-day delivery service in more stores and cities; while Amazon.com is preparing its first brick-and-mortar locale for quicker drop-offs within Manhattan.

Deliv has reached agreement to offer its delivery operation out of new malls like the Beverly Center in Los Angeles—  bringing its total to 30— and will be begin operations in Seattle, Houston, Washington, D.C., and Northern New Jersey, said Chief Executive Daphne Carmeli. It already offers same-day delivery at several sites in San Francisco, San Jose, Calif., Chicago and Los Angeles.

The Menlo Park, Calif. company allows mall customers to drop off their merchandise at booths or with mall employees for delivery at set times so that they can continue shopping; and also works with some stores for same-day delivery of goods consumers order from retailers’ websites.

“This works because we’re more like the airport shuttle with 15 people it’s delivering at once than the yellow cab service with just a single passenger,” said Carmeli. “It turns out people don’t want their deliveries in one hour, they want set times typically in a few hours. That means we can combine deliveries.”

Deliv charges the retailers $5 or more per address for an unlimited number of packages, with retailers passing those costs along to customers. Deliv has a fleet of drivers on call, which it dispatches for the speedy delivery.

Amazon has driven much of the interest in same-day delivery by opening a growing number of warehouses near urban centers, as well as the recent expansion of its Fresh grocery service to Brooklyn. A crop of startups and established companies offer same-day delivery as well, including eBay EBAY +1.84%, Wal-Mart WMT -0.24%, Postmates and Instacart.

Deliv is backed by more than $12 million in funding, including from mall operators Simon, Westfield,General Growth Properties GGP +2.78% and MacerichMAC +1.81%, as well as RPM Ventures and Upfront Ventures.

In addition to working out of malls from the four operators backing Deliv, the company reached deals with Taubman and PREIT to incorporate its service into their properties.

Last month, Deliv announced a deal with Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s for its same-day delivery. Carmeli said she expected about 50 stores to offer the service over the coming months.