Amazon announced today that Prime members in Manhattan will be able to order baked goods, prepared meals, and groceries from a few local establishments through Prime Now. Local store delivery is only available in select Manhattan neighborhoods for the time being, but will expand across Manhattan in the coming weeks.
“So whether you’re ordering diapers and a big-screen television from Amazon, fresh produce from D’Agostino, a chef-made prepared meal from Gourmet Garage or cupcakes from Billy’s Bakery, we will get all of the items right to your door in lightning-fast speeds,” Amazon senior vice president of worldwide operations Dave Clark said in the press release announcing the new deliveries.
Prime Now’s one-hour deliveries cost $7.99, and customers can order via the Prime Now app on iOS and Android. While Manhattan is the only area in which local deliveries are available, Amazon expects to expand the services to other cities (and New York boroughs) where Prime Now is available, currently Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Brooklyn, Dallas, and Miami.
“Using Prime Now to deliver to customers in one hour is a no-brainer. It enables us to utilize Amazon’s operations expertise and technology to reach our customers fast with a high level of quality and freshness at prices that customers would find in our stores,” Gourmet Garage CEO Andy Arons said.
To enable these speedy deliveries, Amazon is utilizing every method of transportation available. Earlier this week, we reported that Amazon had begun using pushcarts in the subways of New York to make its deliveries. And while the FAA isn’t happy about it, the company has also been experimenting with drones delivery.
This new local delivery service sees the company stepping on the toes of startups like Instacart, but the name of a more recognizable brand like Amazon’s might see more customers adopting the service.
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