Business
Amazon Prime Goes Hyperlocal in NYC
(PYMNTS) – In an effort to become even more competitive in New York City, Amazon Prime is broadening its scope to offer more items from stores not necessarily sold across its online platform, TechCrunch reported Thursday.
That marks a shift from standard protocol for its Prime Now service, wherein the eCommerce giant offered its signature one-hour delivery option only for goods sold through its site. But, as the company seeks to blunt competition from smaller players like PostMates, Amazon will deliver grocery and fresh food items from New York institutions including Gourmet Garage and D’Agostino. The delivery service should be available throughout the city in the next few weeks.
Prime Now launched at the end of last year and is of course tied to the Amazon Prime service, with an attendant $99 annual fee. Under Prime Now, a two-hour delivery is free, and a one-hour delivery fee stands at $7.99.
The company’s SVP of worldwide ops, Dave Clark, said in a statement that local stores similar to the NYC model will roll out in other U.S. cities including Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore and Miami.