Amazon.co.uk has raised the bar in ecommerce deliveries with its launch of a same day collection service.
Customers can order up until 11.45am to collect from 4pm until the closing time of their chosen pick-up point. Pick-up points include newsagents and convenience stores, part of a Pass my Parcel branded network of 500 stores.
The service is enabled through a collaboration with newspaper distributor Smiths News, part of the Connect Group.
“This is our fastest pick-up service yet,” said Christopher North, managing director of Amazon.co.uk. “We know that Prime customers love fast delivery and the convenience to pick up their order at a time and place that suits them best. This new service brings together both of those great benefits.”
The new same-day service is launched alongside express morning collection, when orders can be placed up to 7.45pm for next morning collection by 9am, and standard delivery. In the short-term, members of Amazon Prime will be able to use the express services for free, while other shoppers will pay £4.99.
The move extends Amazon’s pick-up locations to more than 6,000. They also include Collect+ stores and Amazon Lockers. “We have recently added Birmingham International Airport and a number of London tube stations to our ever-expanding list of pick-up locations,” said North. “Our intention is to keep rapidly adding to the many thousands of existing pick-up locations to ensure that customers all over the UK are provided with as much choice as possible when it comes to the delivery of their Amazon order.”
Mark Cashmore, group chief executive at Connect Group, said: “We are delighted to be working with Amazon at the launch of Pass my Parcel. Smiths News shares the same passion for customer service and because we visit thousands of local retailers every day, we are uniquely placed to deliver a twice daily pick up service that is second to none in speed and convenience.”
The news comes just a day after Amazon was named an Elite retailer in the InternetRetailing UK Top500 (IRUK Top500). It was placed highly for both its logistics performance and its record on innovation and strategy.
