Delivery, today, from some Phila.-area Macy's and Bloomingdale's

In an effort to expand its reach, Macy's Inc. announced Monday that it will begin same-day, online delivery later this month to nine new markets, including Philadelphia.

Many Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores in the region, including the Macy's at 1300 Market St. in Center City, will offer the service. There are seven other Macy's here, all within malls, and two Bloomingdale's - one at King of Prussia and the other at Willow Grove Mall.

South Jersey is not being included in the service.

The company's same-day delivery was first launched in eight markets in fall 2014. It will debut here Aug. 25 - as well as in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, New York and Orange County, Calif. - and will cover products bought online at macys.com, bloomingdales.com, and on both brands' mobile apps, according to the company.

The charge for same-day delivery from macys.com or bloomingdales.com is a flat $5 above standard ground shipping fees.

"We are evolving with our customers and how they prefer to shop," said Macy's spokeswoman Elina Kazan on Monday. "Our customers shop us in store, online, or via their mobile phone and want the added convenience of having purchases delivered to them on the same day.

"With eight stores providing delivery of online orders, we can better serve our customers in the surrounding Philadelphia market, including outlying areas such as Ardmore, as well as Montgomery and Delaware Counties," she said.

Analysts say the move isn't surprising. All major retailers, they say, are beefing up on their e-commerce technology as more traditional brick-and-mortar stores - including such mall anchors as JC Penney and Sears - close. A J.P. Morgan analysis in April cited Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren's focus on better integrating the in-store brick-and-mortar experience with online shopping, known in the retail industry as omni-channeling. Macy's is now the country's eighth-largest Internet retailer in the United States.

"Building bottoms up, management sees multiple years of strong double-digit e-commerce expansion," said the J.P. Morgan report, touting the company's efforts. "Stabilizing brick-and-mortar traffic, buy-online-pick-up-in-store has now been rolled out chain-wide with 'phenomenal' results to date."

Macy's Inc., with corporate offices in Cincinnati and New York, operates 885 stores in 45 states under Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Bloomingdale's Outlet, and Bluemercury names. The company reported fiscal 2014 sales of $28.1 billion.

"When we piloted same-day delivery in eight markets initially last fall, we learned that our customers appreciate the additional option of having their purchase brought to their home or office in a matter of hours," R.B. Harrison, Macy's Inc. chief omnichannel officer, said in a statement.

Same-day deliveries to Macy's and Bloomingdale's customers are made by Deliv, a rapid-delivery provider, in collaboration with major mall owners, including Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT), which owns Willow Grove and several other malls in the region, and Simon Property Group, which owns King of Prussia and Philadelphia Mills.

In some markets - Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Bay Area - Deliv also offers pickup of an online purchase being returned to macys.com or bloomingdales.com. Customers can go online to authorize the return and schedule a pickup time at their home or office.

215-854-4184@SuzParmley