Slow and sure wins the race? Sorry, pal, consumers don’t want turtles anymore – a message certainly not lost on Amazon. So far, this year, Amazon says it’s delivered more than 5 billion items globally the same or next day – a more than 30% increase over last year and in record time.
In the U.S., Amazon offers more than 300 million items available with free Prime shipping and tens of millions of the most popular items available with free Same-Day or One-Day Delivery – 20 times more products that can be delivered twice as fast as when Prime first launched in 2005.
The online retail megastore is now focusing on five things to keep it on par with consumer wants and a step ahead of the competition.
Putting everything that’s available same-day in one place at its Same Day Store page
Expanding its Same-Day Delivery service so it can get products to customers even quicker. Amazon now offers Same-Day Delivery in more than 120 U.S. metro areas including larger markets like Atlanta, Boston, Indianapolis, New York City, Orlando, and San Francisco -- down to smaller metros such as Baton Rouge, Cedar Rapids, Daytona Beach, and Stockton.
Shortening the distance its deliveries have to travel to reach customers through regionalizing its fulfillment network
Improving its inventory placement and making sure more of the products our customers want are stocked locally and in the right buildings within each region
Partnering with more retailers that can bring in more product lines: Sur La Table, Fabletics, Tillys, Office Depot, and others.
Selection is limited, but all the essentials are there
To achieve maximum delivery time, Amazon has kept the inventory categories tight – focusing on things that consumers might need quickly: vitamins, eye drops, makeup remover wipes, toilet paper, insect traps, GPS trackers, wireless earbuds, mouthwash, batteries, protein shakes, bed linens, COVID tests, pacifiers, pimple patches, laundry detergent, sunscreen, coffee pods, even a replacement Amazon Fire TV Stick if yours goes haywire.
And depending on how much you buy and if you’re a Prime member, you can get your order delivered for free. The only caveat is that the order needs to be at least $25. If your order doesn’t meet Amazon’s minimum, you can still choose Same-Day Delivery for a $2.99 fee. There’s one good exception – Amazon gift card shipping is always free, which can come in handy for last-minute gifts.
If you’re not a Prime member, you can still choose Same-Day Delivery for a $9.99 fee. Amazon gift card shipping is the exception and you’ll only pay $3.99 for Same-Day Delivery.
One question that pops up a lot about same-day delivery is “Can I return a purchase”? The answer is yes “on most items” and via “in-store returns for orders from participating retailers.”