Amazon launches one hour delivery service

Amazon has launched a one hour delivery service for customers of its Amazon Prime service in central London.

Prime Now gives one hour delivery for £6.99. It is available from 8am to midnight seven days a week in selected central London postcodes.

“Millions of customers across London can use the Prime Now app today and discover over ten thousand items for one-hour delivery, or select a free two-hour, same-day delivery slot,” said Christopher North, Managing Director of Amazon UK. “This is just the beginning. London is our first Prime Now city in the UK and we are already working on making Prime Now available in more postcodes in London and beyond.”

To use the service, Prime members need to download a special app. Goods available include food and drink and everyday essentials, as well as other popular items like games consoles, toys and sports equipment.

Prime Now is made available through Amazon Logistics, Amazon’s technology and logistics platform that supports independent local, regional and national delivery companies. Amazon Logistics’ delivery station in East London will serve as the first hub for delivery of Prime Now orders.

Last month, CitySprint launched its own retail delivery product “On the dot” that provides one hour delivery for boutique and independent retailers in London for £6.95.

CitySprint chief executive Patrick Gallagher said: “In the new retail landscape, customers prize flexibility and ease of delivery above almost all else. If Amazon can get this right others will be forced to follow, but we have seen numerous other companies in the logistics and distribution industry try this kind of service in the past and fail. Kozma, Urban Fetch and Web Van in the US to name but a few.

“The problems that they encountered are still here today. Namely, the difficulty of stock holding transparency, retailer’s legacy IT systems and, most importantly, the mindset of retailers. The majority of retailers want to make this a reality but are struggling with the demands this shift creates. The gap between customer experience and what retailers are prepared to offer remains.

“This demand for flexibility and ease is prompting radical changes in distribution and retail. This is why we have a launched a new service this summer, ‘On the dot’, that lets retail customers specify the exact hour for their delivery. The more options customers have around delivery, the better.”

Source: logisticsmanager.com