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Delivery services aren't a new concept. Grubhub started serving up fast food to your door in 2004, Amazon Prime debuted its 2-day delivery window in 2007, Uber started delivering people to their destinations in 2009, and Walmart began delivering groceries nationwide in 2018. But now there's a new delivery service on the scene: PonyEx, which made its big entrance to the delivery world in May 2021.
PonyEx founder, Dave Nelson, looked out into the world of delivery services and realized that while there was already a service for people, groceries, fast food and online goods, there wasn't a service for, well, everything else. That's where PonyEx comes in.
PonyEx has a team of drivers, much like Uber drivers, to deliver goods nearly anywhere in Utah.
How delivery on-demand works
The process is simple. Anyone with a smart device (tablet or phone) can order a delivery vehicle to pick up and drop off their items anywhere within the PonyEx service area. Prices are based on the size of the goods to be delivered, ranging from items small enough to fit on the front seat of a car to loads big enough to fill a 20 ft covered trailer. For example, you could have someone deliver a game of Scrabble to your mom, or you could have a vintage table set delivered from that estate sale down the road.
During checkout, you note the pick-up and drop-off addresses, time of pick-up, delivery window, contact information for each location and any additional information necessary to explain how the pick-up and drop-off should go. Goods can be delivered in as little as two hours or scheduled as far as 7 days ahead. Customers have expressed how PonyEX has saved them in desperate situations—at times delivering items even within the hour.
For a fee, customers can also request load or unload assistance be included in the delivery.
Customers have already been coming up with creative ways to use the service. Mary Bevan, COO at PonyEx, mentioned one customer who requested a delivery vehicle to drop items off at the dump. Another customer used the service's tracking and communication feature to coordinate with their driver a pick-up of a large recliner from Costco.
One of the PonyEx management team members found himself in a bind one Sunday afternoon. He was home with a sleeping baby, his wife was out, and the construction workers in his basement ran out of supplies. He made the online order with Home Depot, and in less than two hours, a PonyEx driver had the materials at his home.
Other ways customers could utilize the service include:
- Delivering a free dresser found on KSL Classifieds.
- Having a prescription brought directly to their home.
- Getting more wooden beams from Home Depot or Lowe's.
- Delivering a gravel, dirt, or bark order from a local nursery.
- Taking a truckload of donations to Goodwill.
- Picking up that new dresser from IKEA that comes in three different boxes.
Small businesses discovering new ways of delivering their goods
Small businesses are also benefiting from PonyEx. With on-demand delivery now a staple service expected of most businesses and a labor shortage virtually everywhere, the need for deliveries can be unpredictable. PonyEx is helping small businesses meet the delivery demands of the customers while also only paying for the services when needed.
The convenient features of working with PonyEx include:
- Real-time tracking and photo proof of delivery
- Specific delivery windows
- Improved customer rapport by allowing users to save "favorite" drivers
- 7-day customer support
- Lower operational expenses by removing the need for delivery vehicles and additional personnel
- Inventory repositioning services
- Buy online, deliver from store capabilities
- Effortless onboarding and API integration (coming soon)
Another small company, Furnishh, has nothing but good things to say about PonyEx. "PonyEx is quick to respond and thoughtful. They've done a great job—timely, and always take care of our customers. PonyEx has supplemented and helped streamline our delivery process with our customers," says Lesa Riley.
Bevan has seen firsthand small businesses utilizing PonyEx Delivery's services, including a carpet company in Ogden which used the service to transfer its inventory. In a separate interview, one prospective customer said he hadn't been able to find a way to transport furniture from a local furniture store to his apartment. PonyEx made it possible for him to go forward with the purchase.
PonyEx Delivery is setting the stage to send a disruption through the delivery service market once more. Customers and small businesses can visit ponyex.com or download the app today to find out more about its delivery services or to place their first delivery order.
Interested in driving for PonyEx? They're hiring! If you're over age 18 with a driver's license, own a car or truck and can provide your own car insurance you can apply. Drivers are independent contractors, which means you make your own schedule and you get to choose which deliveries to take. Get paid weekly through direct deposit and earn up to $40 an hour. For more information, visit the PonyEx website.
