Delivery Wars; Amazon Adds Alcohol

As Amazon continues to expand its delivery options, other retailers will soon be forced to keep up or get left behind!

Amazon recently launched its Prime Now one hour delivery service in the Seattle area. This launch for Amazon also marked the U.S. debut of beer, wine and liquor delivery through Prime Now in the United States. Excited customers can take their pick from a range of booze and opt for one- or two-hour delivery.

Prime Now operates between 8 a.m. and midnight, every day and is accessible through the Prime Now app. It’s available only to members of Amazon’s $99/year Prime Now membership program. A minimum order of $20 is required. One-hour delivery costs $7.99 and two-hour delivery is free.

In a recent press release, Stephanie Landry, director of Amazon’s Prime Now service, said; “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.”

With the countless products that can now be purchased through Amazon, and let’s not forget Amazon Fresh, the e-commerce giant is leading the pack when it comes to delivery. With competitors such as Walmart and Instacart also in the mix and let’s not forget Target who recently announced that they will begin testing the effectiveness of online grocery delivery, it’s a reminder for supermarkets that they too need to have a presence.  With so many convenient options out there already and retailers battling it out for customer attention, shoppers are inundated with convenient delivery options.  Supermarkets who are not also offering multi-platform options for their shoppers and convenient delivery solutions may find they get left behind.