One hour Beer Delivery by Amazon but in Seattle for Now


08/25/2015



There can be a momentary panic when you suddenly discover that the beer stocks are running down during a party. And then you would require to go out, leaving the party to make arrangements for more beer.

Not any more if you stay in Seattle, USA and within the ambit of Amazon’s Prime Now service.  
Amazon declared one hour delivery of beer in its home town of Seattle through its one- or two-hour Prime Now service on Tuesday.

The launch of the new express delivery service of the on-line retail giant cam with an add- on – alcohol delivery.

The company would now deliver wine, beer and spirits to its U.S. customers for the first time as part of its speedy delivery service, Prime Now.

Free two-day delivery on millions of items is done by Amazon through Amazon Prime, the company's $99 per year shopping membership program. This service is the testing ground for new services that range from TV and on-demand video to fast delivery.

While Amazon claims to have "tens of millions" of Prime subscribers, analysts have estimates that the subscribers for the program to be around 40 million users worldwide.

The Prime Now service has been expanded by Amazon since its launch of the service in New York City a year ago. The growth of the retailer's grocery delivery service, Amazon Fresh is facilitated by the integration with the Prime Now service as the growth of the grocery business of the company has been slow to expand to the new markets.

In the United States, the on-demand grocery delivery is a growing and competitive market. For example, a grocery delivery company, Instacart, announced the expansion of its services to Indianapolis on Tuesday. This is the 17th city that the company is operating now. Using a network of couriers, other startups like Postmates, also deliver personal care goods and alcohol for customers even as it focuses on meal delivery.

An app available on both iOS and Android devices can be used by the Prime Now customers to place their order. Hubs or smaller warehouses are used to ship the orders. IN order to handle Prime Now deliveries, Amazon has opened two facilities in Seattle and Kirkland, Washington, said a spokeswoman of the company.

But this is the first time that one would be able to order beer via Amazon and its fast delivery service. The areas of Bellevue, Redmond, and Kirkland would be included and Prime Now service would be provided along with the service in Seattle.  There are only a handful of US cities that include Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Indianapolis, Miami and NYC that has the Prime Now service.

“Prime Now is our fastest delivery option ever. With Prime Now, you can skip a trip to the store and get the items you need delivered right to your door in under an hour. Customers love the convenience of one-hour delivery and we’re excited to bring Prime Now to our hometown customers in Seattle and surrounding areas,” said Stephenie Landry, director of Amazon’s Prime Now service.

(Source: www.reuters.com)