Alexander Pope once wrote “To err is human.” And now, to err could also be profitable, thanks to a contest being held by Rakuten Super Logistics.
The Las Vegas-based e-commerce order fulfillment company recently launched a nationwide search for the worst e-commerce shipping or fulfillment blunders. Contestants who submit the most hair-raising horror stories—which the company calls “‘Oh Ship’ moments”—are eligible to win a share of $7,000 in prize money.
The contest is open to all U.S. online retailers. To participate, companies simply submit a factual account of their most epic failures at www.rakutensl.com/oh-ship by the end of July. The grand-prize winner will receive $5,000, while two runner-ups will each take home $1,000.
The competition promises to be stiff, according to the company. “We know that many online business owners think they have the worst story—whether that’s the wrong item shipped, the package delivered to the wrong destination, or goods that were damaged during the process,” said Jason Chan, Rakuten’s vice president of marketing and sales, in a release. “But is your ‘Oh Ship’ moment the absolute worst [and therefore, most deserving of] our $5,000 grand prize?”
