Amazon now promises one-hour delivery of daily essential items to anyone in Manhattan.
Mashable reported today that Amazon has expanded Prime Now, the new one-hour delivery service that debuted in December, to all of Manhattan. Only customers in a small area of the borough previously had access.
Prime Now is a way for Amazon Prime members to have “daily essential” items like paper towels and shampoo arrive at their door within 60 minutes of ordering. Customers can access Prime Now via a mobile app for iOS and Android, and choose from products like books, toys, food, and other basic items. The service, available from 6 a.m. to midnight each day, costs $7.99 for one-hour delivery and is free for two-hour delivery.
Amazon’s new building on West 34th Street serves as a hub for Prime Now orders. This is the latest attempt from Amazon to speed up its delivery process, as the company has explored the use of everything from drones to taxi vehicles to storage lockers. Amazon currently offers same-day delivery ($5.99 for Prime users; $8.99 for others) in a dozen U.S. markets, and recently expanded the service to Canada.
Amazon is up against competitors like Instacart, WunWun, and Postmates, all of which deliver similar items in New York City and other metros.
Prime Now will be rolled out to other cities this year. The service is another benefit for the $99 per year Prime membership, which includes free two-day shipping, music streaming, unlimited photo storage, and access to Prime Instant Video content.
This past October, Amazon debuted its grocery delivery service, Amazon Fresh, in Brooklyn.
