Amazon's first staffed campus pick-up location at Purdue University. (File Photo)
Amazon’s first staffed campus pick-up location at Purdue University. (File Photo)

Amazon announced today that it is opening a new university pick-up site at the Georgia Institute of Technology where people can collect their online orders. This marks the e-commerce giant’s third announcement of a physical pick-up location on a university campus in less than a week.

The 2500-square-foot distribution site will be staffed by Amazon employees and will open this summer. The university hub will allow members of the Georgia Tech community to pick up their online orders, and will also serve customers from the greater Atlanta area.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Just a few days ago, Amazon revealed a pick-up location at the University of Texas in Austin and another in the college community at the University of Akron in Ohio, both slated to open this summer, as well. The online retail giant is also investing in pick-up hubs at the University of Pennsylvania and University of California at Davis to open within the year.

These five new physical pick-up locations will join Amazon’s existing university locations — the first of which was opened at Purdue University, soon after joined by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Santa Barbara, and University of Cincinnati.

At all of its university hubs, Amazon is offering special benefits to Amazon Student and Prime members, giving both groups free same-day pick-up for orders placed by noon and free one-day pick-up for orders placed by 10 p.m.

Amazon Student is the online retail giant’s special program for people enrolled in colleges or universities, which provides them with access to special student promotions and discounts on university-branded items, as well as the benefits of Prime membership, like free two-day shipping, Prime Music and Video, and the Kindle Lending Library. The program is free for six months and then costs $49 per year, half the price of regular Amazon Prime membership.

Universities have also partnered with Amazon to create co-branded websites for their campus bookstores that highlight textbooks, university apparel, and other university-specific items available for order through Amazon, with a cut of those profits going back to the universities.

The moves underscore the importance of college students to Amazon’s business. This year, there are estimated 20.2 million enrolled students in colleges and universities nationwide. By getting those students accustomed to the Amazon interface, brand, and services like quick delivery and e-books, Amazon is hoping to make sure they remain customers once they graduate.

This is part of a broader push by Amazon to expand its reach into the physical world, including bookstores and new delivery facilities.

 

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