Amazon is introducing scheduled delivery

[nir]

Amazon is slowly rolling out a new delivery option for US Prime members, entitled "Amazon Day," CNET reports. The option is currently available by invitation only and allows customers to select a specific day of the week for their Amazon orders to arrive.

 

Business Insider Intelligence

During future purchases, users will be able to select delivery specifically for that day, with orders arriving in as few shipments as possible. Prime members using the service can still select other options, such as one- or two-day shipping, if they choose, and they're not locked in to only receiving packages on their Amazon Day. Items can be added to Amazon Day orders up to 48 hours before the day arrives.

 

Amazon Day adds to Prime's ever increasing value by making the e-tailer more flexible for its members. The ability to schedule delivery for free may make a big difference for busy Prime members who work during the week and can't accept shipments at home on weekdays.

 

Getting all their orders for the week on the same day — like on Saturday when they can be home — can help these customers worry less about having packages stolen from their doorsteps or having to deal with the complication of a failed delivery. Frequent Amazon users can also avoid the nuisance of getting multiple packages each week.

 

This new feature may help Amazon become a greater part of its Prime members' routines. With the ability to select a day that works best for them, customers may come to anticipate the reliability of getting a shipment from Amazon each week.

 

This reliability may also help Amazon nudge Prime members toward making more impulse purchases. For example, the e-tailer could send an email containing personalized product recommendations to customers shortly before the deadline to add items to their Amazon Day order. The simplicity of adding an item to their Amazon Day shipment and knowing that it will arrive on the scheduled day along with all the other orders of the week may spur Prime members to make an additional purchase.

 

The program also carries benefits on the shipping side for Amazon. If Amazon Day proves popular, it will mean that, in many cases, the e-tailer will have more time to prepare orders, as customers will place some orders more than two days before their delivery day. Additionally, Amazon will be able to cluster orders into as few packages as possible, helping it shrink shipping costs by reducing the number of extraneous shipments it has to send out.

 

Source

[mp68terr]

"Scheduled delivery" has been a reality for years for common orders (no need for Prime or whatever else) in countries like Japan where customers are able to choose not only the day but also a time range for the delivery.