Amazon is developing a mobile app that will become the gateway to members of the public becoming parcel delivery providers in their spare time.
No stranger to stoking up the market with ‘this is the future’ hype and revelations, details surrounding the app – known as On My Way – are shrouded in secrecy, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The so-called sharing economy, which has seen brands like Uber and AirBnB rise to prominence will almost certainly have a part to play in the development of last mile solutions. There are already Uber-like services in the delivery sector, in the US and Europe too. But so far they are small fish swimming in waters dominated by well-established – and much larger – players.
Whether Amazon, with its clout and connections, can shake this market up remains to be seen. But it is certainly in a strong position to do so.
Despite the sketchy details, it seems clear that such a development will require a network of outlets acting as hubs, but this could be built with relative ease from the ecommerce giant’s existing contacts. At the moment, this appears to be a US-only move.
Where things start to get harder to define is when it comes to the business of who will make the actual deliveries. There will need to be checks and balances in place to vet potential delivery drivers and ensure honesty and integrity are embedded in the service.
What are your thoughts on this news? Will Amazon bring the sharing-economy to life in the delivery industry? Is it just more hype? If you have something to say on this, get in touch.
