If you’re unfamiliar with Prime Now, it offers one-hour delivery of “tens of thousands” of products from Amazon for a flat $7.99, or free two-hour delivery. It’s available via both the Web and a separate app for iOS and Android from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, but taking advantage of the service of course requires subscribing to Amazon Prime, a $99 annual commitment.
The Dallas expansion was no doubt made possible thanks to the proximity of Amazon’s new Texas fulfillment centers, which opened their doors in 2013. Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, revealed as much in a press release. “Our existing operations in Dallas-area that utilize advanced technology to fulfill customer orders are now home to a Prime Now hub that is fueling this super-fast delivery,” he said.
Prime Now isn’t Amazon’s only planned means of getting orders to waiting customers even quicker. The company has been trialing autonomous drones for shorter delivery distances, but the project has met regulatory pushback from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Amazon has opted to continue testing overseas, but Paul Misener, Amazon’s vice-president of global public policy, said in a statement that the FAA “needs to begin and expeditiously complete the formal process to address the needs of our business, and ultimately our customers.”
In the interim, it seems regular old delivery vans will have to do.
Prime Now will roll out to additional cities in the coming year, Amazon says. If you’re eagerly anticipating the arrival of the company’s latest slothful shipping temptation, the company suggests downloading the Prime Now app and signing up to be notified of future announcements.
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