NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Expert Consumers has published a new review of last-minute gift delivery options, highlighting DoorDash as a practical choice for birthdays, flowers, celebrations, and other occasions when traditional shipping no longer fits the timeline.

Last-Minute Gift Delivery:

DoorDash – a local commerce platform offering same-day gift delivery from nearby florists, bakeries, grocery stores, beauty retailers, and other local businesses, with gifting features such as digital cards and personalized messages.

The review reflects a broader shift in on-demand delivery. Platforms once associated mainly with restaurant orders now connect consumers with a wider range of nearby products, giving last-minute shoppers another way to handle time-sensitive gifting without relying on multi-day shipping.

Why Is Local Delivery Useful for Last-Minute Gifts

Last-minute gifting often creates a fulfillment problem rather than a product-search problem. A suitable gift may be easy to find online, but standard shipping can make the purchase irrelevant if delivery falls after a birthday, celebration, milestone, or other occasion.

Expert Consumers notes that DoorDash uses a local-first model. Instead of starting with a nationwide product catalog and waiting for an item to move through a shipping network, shoppers can begin with the recipient’s delivery address and see what nearby participating businesses already have available.

That distinction can matter when only a few hours remain. Local availability provides a clearer picture of products with a realistic chance of arriving the same day, whether the need is flowers, dessert, a small retail gift, or a simple care package. Product selection varies by address, making the recipient’s location central to what can actually be ordered.

How Does DoorDash Same-Day Gift Delivery Work

After entering a delivery address, shoppers can browse participating florists, bakeries, grocery stores, beauty retailers, convenience stores, and other local merchants with available delivery windows. Eligible purchases can then be marked as gifts during checkout.

Gift orders may include recipient details, a digital card, and a personalized message. Scheduled delivery is also available from participating merchants, which can help when a birthday, anniversary, or another occasion is known earlier but delivery is still needed on a specific day. Order tracking provides additional visibility after checkout, particularly when a gift is expected before a dinner, celebration, or event.

Gifts may be delivered in as fast as 35 minutes*, although timing can be affected by store hours, distance, product availability, merchant preparation time, and local delivery demand.

*Delivery times vary by location. See app for estimate.

What Last-Minute Gifts Can Be Delivered Through DoorDash

Expert Consumers highlights several gift categories available through DoorDash that can work well when a birthday, celebration, or thoughtful gesture needs to come together quickly:

Flowers and plants: Bouquets and arrangements can suit birthdays, anniversaries, congratulations, sympathy gestures, host gifts, and other occasions. All florists offer same-day flower delivery.Cakes and bakery treats: Cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pastries, chocolates, and other sweets can work for birthdays, office celebrations, milestones, and thank-you gifts.Beauty and self-care gifts: Skincare, cosmetics, bath products, candles, and similar items can work for birthdays, get-well gifts, or simple pick-me-ups.Snacks and comfort items: Coffee, candy, drinks, groceries, and favorite snacks can form an informal care package for friends, family members, coworkers, or students.Retail gifts: Depending on nearby stores, options may include electronics, clothing, sporting goods, craft supplies, and products connected to hobbies or everyday interests.DoorDash gift cards: A digital gift card can provide a flexible fallback when timing is especially tight or the recipient’s preferences are difficult to predict.

The source review also shows how these categories can fit different last-minute situations. A birthday remembered around lunchtime may still leave time for flowers, cake, chocolates, or a small self-care gift. Someone recovering at home may appreciate soup, tea, snacks, flowers, or comfort items. Smaller occasions may call for cookies after a coworker’s promotion, favorite snacks for a student finishing exams, flowers for a host, or a treat after an important milestone.

Why Can DoorDash Be a Strong Fit for Urgent Gifting

For consumers comparing last-minute gift delivery options, DoorDash brings nearby inventory, estimated delivery timing, gift messaging, scheduled delivery where available, and order tracking into one platform. The range also means that a last-minute gift does not have to follow a traditional format. The most practical option can depend on the occasion, recipient, and products available nearby.

For birthdays remembered late, flowers needed before dinner, congratulations, get-well gestures, or other small moments worth recognizing, Expert Consumers finds that DoorDash offers a practical way to turn locally available products into same-day gifts when traditional shipping is no longer an option.

The full review can be read at the Expert Consumers website.

About DoorDash

DoorDash is one of the world’s leading local commerce platforms, helping businesses grow and connecting consumers with the best of their neighborhoods. Through its global portfolio, including Deliveroo and Wolt, DoorDash serves communities across more than 40 countries, delivering experiences that bring people together—from everyday moments to global celebrations.

About ExpertConsumers.org: Expert Consumers delivers news and insights on consumer products and services. As an affiliate, Expert Consumers may earn commissions from sales generated using links provided.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/last-minute-gift-delivery-2026-same-day-ideas-for-birthdays-flowers-and-small-gifts-by-expert-consumers-302871331.html

SOURCE ExpertConsumers.org

The seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook (NEO) for Q4 2026 in Asia Pacific and the Middle East (APME) stands at +33%, improving by five points quarter-over-quarter and four points year-over-year.The Information sector (+42%) reports the strongest NEO in Q4 2026, while Hospitality (+20%) reports the weakest NEO among sectors.Most employers report hiring timelines are unchanged (40%) or faster (31%) than in 2025, with better targeting of candidates (27%) cited as the leading driver.Early-career hiring remains resilient across APME, with 45% of employers increasing hiring over the past year, more than double the proportion reporting a decline (18%), while 36% report no change.

SINGAPORE, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hiring intentions strengthened across APME heading into Q4 2026. Most employers also report filling vacancies at the same speed or faster than a year ago, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey.

The survey of 12,794 employers across 11 APME countries and territories found that 46% plan to increase headcount in the coming quarter, 13% anticipate a decrease in staffing levels, while 40% expect no change.

Hiring sentiment improved across APME markets in Q4 2026, with most markets reporting quarter-over-quarter increases. India (+54%) continues to report the strongest hiring Outlook in the region, and globally, followed by UAE (+41%) which records the region’s strongest quarter-over-quarter improvement, rising 24 points from Q3 2026. Meanwhile, Japan (+7%) reports the most cautious Outlook in the region.

“The stronger Outlook across APME reflects employers’ continued focus on growth and transformation,” said François Lançon, Regional President, Asia Pacific & Middle East, ManpowerGroup. “Organizations are creating jobs as they expand, pursue new growth opportunities, and build the capabilities needed to keep pace with technological change. Increasingly, hiring decisions are being shaped by what businesses need to deliver now and to stay competitive next.”

View the full results: https://www.manpower.com.sg/en/meos-apme

About ManpowerGroup

ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing, and managing the talent that enables them to win. Our expert family of brands – Manpower, Experis, and Talent Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across more than 70 countries and territories and for more than 75 years.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/hiring-intentions-strengthen-across-apme-as-net-employment-outlook-reaches-33-for-q4-2026-manpowergroup-survey-finds-302868812.html

SOURCE ManpowerGroup

SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The following is a news report from Xinhuanet:

The Asia-Pacific Media Forum opened in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, on September 5 under the theme “Building a Path to Shared Prosperity for the Asia-Pacific Community: Media Consensus and Action.” Qian Chaoyang, Chairman and Party Secretary of China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd. (CSG), attended the forum and delivered remarks.

The Asia-Pacific region is a major engine of global economic growth, and clean, low-carbon, secure and efficient energy is essential to keeping that engine running smoothly. The region accounts for a significant share of global energy consumption. Its countries vary widely in their energy resources but have strong potential to complement one another, creating substantial opportunities for greater regional energy connectivity. CSG has consistently supported efforts to build an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future and has worked to become an important force in advancing energy connectivity across the region.

CSG highlighted progress in six areas across the Greater Bay Area: power supply, grid reliability, clean-energy integration, transmission technology, artificial intelligence and regional cooperation. Total electricity consumption across the Greater Bay Area exceeded 700 TWh, ranking ahead of the world’s other major bay areas; a stronger power grid, with average annual outage time per customer of less than 30 minutes and power supply reliability maintained at a world-class level; cleaner power, with approximately 180 billion kWh of clean electricity transmitted to the Greater Bay Area annually through the West-to-East Electricity Transmission project, installed renewable energy capacity exceeding 93 GW, and clean energy accounting for more than half of total installed capacity; more active innovation, with world-leading expertise in areas including complex large-scale power grid operations and flexible ultra-high-voltage direct-current (UHVDC) transmission; a smarter power system, with CSG’s proprietary power-sector foundation model, “Big Watt • Yudian,” receiving the top award at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference; and more open collaboration, with CSG launching and regularly convening the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Power Enterprise Summit and establishing the Greater Bay Area Power Development Cooperation Organization to advance open, mutually beneficial regional power cooperation.   

CSG is also contributing to the development of an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future by sharing its experience in building, operating and governing the “electricity-powered Greater Bay Area,” as well as its experience in regional cooperation. The company has built 17 high-voltage power transmission links with Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar and is exploring the development of a regional electricity market in the Lancang-Mekong region. More than 84 TWh of electricity has already been exchanged across national borders, with clean energy accounting for more than 90% of the total.

Pluz Energía Perú, operated by CSG, ranks first in its local market for power supply reliability, while power outages in three demonstration zones established in partnership with Laos have declined by 70%. CSG has also hosted the Global South Power Partnership Development Forum and signed more than 50 partnership agreements. The company has trained nearly 2,000 energy professionals from partner countries and implemented a number of small-scale, high-impact community projects, including the Vinh Tan Light initiative in Vietnam and the Dok Champa project in Laos.

Looking ahead, CSG said it plans to work with regional partners to capitalize on complementary energy resources and expand cross-border energy cooperation across the Asia-Pacific.

The forum brought together more than 400 representatives from over 40 countries and regions, as well as United Nations agencies and international organizations.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/china-southern-power-grid-powering-asia-pacific-prosperity-through-energy-cooperation-302871476.html

SOURCE Xinhuanet