Harvey Norman offers three-hour delivery

Harvey Norman will begin offering three-hour same-day delivery for Australian customers in major cities starting today.

Customers can schedule a delivery for small appliances, consumer electronics and small goods deliveries between 7am and 10pm on weekdays.

Delivery starts at $11.53, according to The Australian.

The retail giant is teaming with Sydney delivery startup Shippit to establish the service. Shippit landed a deal with Australia Post in March which allows Shippit's business customers to book standard and express post through Australia Post's network. Shippit also partners with Bonds Couriers for courier services.

Shippit offers customers live GPS tracking and progress notification features. Customers can also reschedule the delivery time after a purchase has been made.

Rob Hango-Zada, joint-chief executive of Shippit, said the company’s goal was kill off the “sorry we missed you” calling card left behind as a result of missed deliveries.

“In the case of Harvey Norman, what appealed most was the standout shipping experience our platform could offer their customers. We also worked with the retail giant to co-develop a ship-from-store dispatch process that literally strips hours of wasted time from the whole shipping process for store staff,” said Hango-Zada.

“By partnering with Shippit, in addition to booking standard deliveries through Australia Post, Harvey Norman can now offer smart extras like national three-hour delivery scheduling, live GPS delivery tracking, and progress notifications that only a unique startup like Shippit can offer.”

Harvey Norman chief digital officer Gary Wheelhouse said that providing a seamless purchase experience was critical.

“We introduced Click & Collect in 2012 to make it easier for customers to get the items they bought online, from their local Harvey Norman store. By using those same stores, we can now offer even greater flexibility and improved customer service with our new scheduled, same day delivery option,” said Wheelhouse.

Harvey Norman said it was the first major retailer in Australia to offer a three-hour delivery option, beating out the likes of JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys.