The express parcels industry is coming under pressure as never before. Fundamental changes in the market structure, caused by e-retailing, technological disruption and macro-economic upheaval, have created opportunities and challenges for express companies in equal measure.

In the increasingly frantic race to offer same-delay delivery to online purchasers, one contestant has spun out and hit a wall.

The race is heating up over who will dominate the world of "last-mile" delivery of online retail orders.

Amazon has announced that its Prime Now service has expanded to the Dallas area, offering one-hour delivery on tens of thousands of daily essentials through a mobile app.

There was a time, not too long ago, when retail industry analysts were predicting that online merchandisers would soon stop offering free shipping on orders. How wrong they were.

Traditional retailers aren't taking the challenge from pure e-tailers lying down. They can deliver on same-day orders, too.

Deliv, a provider of same-day delivery on behalf of retailers, is expanding its service area with the addition of four urban centers: Seattle, Houston, northern New Jersey and Washington, D.C.