Dive Brief:

• Ace Hardware on Thursday announced the addition of a "buy online, deliver from store" fulfillment option at certain locations, according to a company press release.

• The option is "a key feature of the enhanced e-commerce site, AceHardware.com," the company said, and will give customers the option for same-day, next-day or standard delivery. However, the company noted that each independently owned and operated store will determine its own delivery pricing and radius.

• The company also said Ace Rewards members are eligible for free next-day or standard delivery on orders in stock costing $50 or more.

Dive Insight:

Ace Hardware joins an ever-growing list of retailers looking to offer faster delivery options to consumers, due in part to the "Amazon effect," which normalized two-day or less shipping.

"There has been a tremendous consumer shift toward free and fast delivery in the marketplace," Bill Kiss, head of digital, retail strategy and innovation at Ace Hardware, said in a statement. "With 72 percent of U.S. households within 15 minutes of an Ace store, we are uniquely positioned to leverage that proximity to meet our customers' home improvement needs."

Last September, Home Depot rolled out its own express same-day and next-day local delivery services in 35 major U.S. metro areas. The company said delivery would be fulfilled through its partnerships with Roadie and Deliv for smaller items, and through its own supply chain network for larger items. Big-box retailers like Walmart and Target have also ramped up their fulfillment efforts, with the latter acquiring same-day delivery platform Shipt in late 2017 for $550 million.

In addition to the deliver-from-store option, Ace also offers in-store pickup and product assembly at participating locations. The efforts to improve its delivery operations not only provide more convenience to customers, but also help further position the retailer to provide a full omnichannel experience.

"In-store or online, we want Ace to be the go-to place for our customers' home improvement needs," said Kiss.