Amazon will shrink the shipping time for certain Same-Day Delivery orders to mere hours with a new program being rolled out in Philadelphia, Phoenix, Dallas and Orlando, Fla. Up to 3 million eligible items will be marked as “Today by,” enabling shoppers to choose a delivery window that works for them.
These “Today by” items can be ordered throughout the day for same-day arrival; orders placed by midnight will arrive between 4:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. the next day. The new delivery windows are as follows:
- Midnight to 8 a.m.: Same day by 1 p.m.;
- 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Same day by 6 p.m.;
- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Same day by 10 p.m.; and
- 5 p.m. to midnight: Overnight by 8 a.m.
The initiative is enabled by mini fulfillment centers located close to shoppers’ homes, decreasing the distance traveled to cut both delivery times and carbon emissions. Amazon also experimented with temporary warehouses during the holiday season, to help the e-Commerce giant eliminate out-of-stocks and delays during the busy season.
Delivery times are a constant e-Commerce battleground, and Amazon’s competitors are raising the stakes as well. Improving Prime may help Amazon’s fight against Walmart in particular, which is reportedly launching its own membership program — one that could offer guaranteed same-day delivery for no additional fees.
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