Every time I think I’m going to get my Amazon habit under control, the retailer rolls out another feature that makes me go, “Oooh…” This time, Amazon is testing delivery of groceries and household essentials in 30 minutes or less with a new service called Amazon Now. The first question that comes to mind is, “Who do they think they are, pizza places back in the good old days? But there are more pressing questions to make sense of this.
Where Is Amazon Testing Its Rapid Delivery?
Don’t expect Amazon’s super-speedy delivery to appear on your own app anytime in the immediate future. As a “testing” phase, this feature is isolated to only a couple of areas in Seattle and Philadelphia. In those areas, the company placed small fulfillment facilities designed for efficiency.
What Items Are on the Docket?
Before you get too excited, Amazon Now isn’t going to include any and everything on Amazon. Instead, the service will make grocery and household essentials items readily (and rapidly) available to shoppers. Several stores offer delivery or pickup of groceries, but shoppers often wait hours for those orders to be completed (I know because I AM “shoppers”). This Amazon feature, on the other hand, would rival services like Instacart or DoorDash, acting as more of an instant gratification of goods.
Will Amazon Roll Out Delivery in 30 Minutes or Quicker Nationwide?
Amazon Now plans to offer quicker delivery to 4,000 rural communities and expand its same-day fresh grocery delivery to more cities across the US. Still, Amazon’s fleet has some catching up to do compared to Walmart and Target (there are about 535 Whole Foods stores and 60 Amazon Fresh stores), and the service is only in the earliest testing phases.
What Would Amazon Now Cost Shoppers?
I remember a time when Whole Foods delivered groceries through the Amazon app as part of your Prime membership. Then they tainted it with a delivery fee. Rather than evoke the same disappointment later on with Amazon Now, the service is going to have an associated cost from the get-go. For regular Amazon users, the price is $14 per order; Prime members only pay $4. Plus, any order $15 or less will incur a $2 fee.
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