[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjIH5dUQh7E?feature=oembed&w=710&h=399]
Amazon just introduced the latest perk for Prime subscribers: one-hour or less delivery of “tens of thousands of daily essentials.”
Initially available in select parts of Manhattan, Amazon Prime Now lets users order stuff like “paper towels, shampoo, books, toys and batteries” and have it delivered at their doorsteps within an hour. The service is available between 6AM and 12PM seven days a week (no late night refill calls for you, at least not yet). One-hour orders cost $7.99 per delivery, while two-hour or more deliveries are free. Of course, you will need to be subscribed to Amazon Prime, at $99 per year.
Amazon is starting small with this new venture, but next year could bring wider availability. “We’ve long felt that Amazon Prime is the best deal in the history of shopping and now it has gotten even better. Prime members in Manhattan are going to love this service and we cannot wait to roll out Prime Now to additional cities in 2015,” said Dave Clark, SVP of worldwide operations.
The Prime Now app is already available for Android via the Amazon Appstore (availability limited to the US). You need a Prime membership to complete orders, but browsing around is open to anyone. The app includes a delivery tracker showing the progress of your courier in real time.
Prime Now is the latest salvo in the war that Amazon has been waging for total domination of the retail landscape. While traditional retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have mounted a decent defense, mainly through price-matching and extended deliveries, the biggest threat to Amazon could come from Google’s Express shopping service, which offers one-day deliveries from many partnering stores. Sources claim Google is planning an Amazon-style one-click buy button, meaning that customers will be able to shop from multiple stores without leaving Google Shopping.
You probably won’t be able to order any device on Prime Now for now. But as Amazon continues to expand and perfect its already stunning distribution network (which could one day include a fleet of drones), we’ll be getting closer to the instant gratification of all our tech needs.
Show Press Release
Amazon Introduces Prime Now: One-Hour Delivery on Tens of Thousands of Daily Essentials Exclusively for Prime Members
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced Prime Now, the newest benefit for Prime members, which offersone-hour delivery on tens of thousands of daily essentials through a mobile app. Prime Now is powered by Amazon’s growing network of fulfillment centers that utilize high-end technology to speed up order delivery times for customers. Now, Prime members can get products like paper towels, shampoo, books, toys and batteries delivered right to their door in an hour or less.
“There are times when you can’t make it to the store and other times when you simply don’t want to go. There are so many reasons to skip the trip and now Prime members in Manhattan can get the items they need delivered in an hour or less”
“There are times when you can’t make it to the store and other times when you simply don’t want to go. There are so many reasons to skip the trip and now Prime members in Manhattan can get the items they need delivered in an hour or less,” said Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations. “We’ve long felt that Amazon Prime is the best deal in the history of shopping and now it has gotten even better. Prime members in Manhattan are going to love this service and we cannot wait to roll out Prime Now to additional cities in 2015.”
Amazon is launching Prime Now in select areas of Manhattan today. All Prime members can immediately download the Prime Now app, available on iOS and Android devices, and will be notified when the service is available in their local area. Prime Now is available from 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. Two-hour delivery is free and one-hour delivery is available for $7.99. A portion of Amazon’s new building on 34th Street in Manhattan will serve as a hub for delivery of Prime Now orders.
Tens of millions of members around the world already enjoy Prime. In the US, membership includes unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on more than 20 million items, instant streaming of tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes through Prime Instant Video, one million songs and hundreds of playlists through Prime Music, free unlimited photo storage through Amazon’s Cloud Drive, early access to select Lightning Deals and access to over 600,000 books to borrow through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.
Learn more about Amazon Prime Now and download the mobile app at www.amazon.com/primenow.