Amazon has shaken up the way people get deliveries from online stores by being the fist internet retailer to offer deliveries to corner shops as an option for pick up.
ECommerce Deliveries
Amazon has the lion’s share of online deliveries. Customers can choose what they want from their website and have it delivered at home without having to venture anywhere near the high street. They can choose from a range of articles and read online reviews to decide how to make their choice. This type of shopping has caught on in this busy world when people don’t always have the time to hunt up and down the high street for whatever they want. They can get their shopping delivered so don’t even have to carry it home. Crowded shops and traffic jams have all contributed to the increase in online sales and Amazon have been prime movers in this market.
The only snag with this type of shopping is making sure that you are in for your delivery. If the courier cannot deliver they may take the item back to the depot and usually you will be unable to collect it for twenty four hours. The depot may also be some distance away. Royal Mail has limited opening hours so you may find it difficult to collect your parcel, especially if you work long hours. Amazon will give you an estimate of when your delivery can be expected and many articles can be tracked online so you can see where your delivery is. However taking time off work can be an expensive option and waiting in for a parcel doesn’t fit in with today’s busy lifestyles so to combat this Amazon are now arranging delivery at local corner shops so that when you arrive home you can go across the road and collect your parcel at any time.
Deliveries to Corner Shops
Nearly 5000 corner shops and newsagents are intending to take part. These small retail out lets often open early and still stay open late at night thus providing an out of hours service which the Royal Mail and other depots does not provide. Customers can then collect their parcels at any time that is suitable for them.
So will this idea catch on? Amazon already has £109 billion business turnover and hopes to take on the high street and gain even more custom by providing this added convenience to customers. The corner shops will benefit by increasing the numbers of people who come through their doors and make casual purchases. This will also add the personal touch to the otherwise impersonal experience of online shopping as regular customers at the corner shop soon become well known to the shopkeeper. The customer can call in at the corner shop or newspaper outlet either early or late at a time which suits them, and they can designate which corner shop their delivery is sent to. They will also be able to return items through the corner shop by using the Connect+ System.
Amazon has already been trialling this system by using specific items such as books and clothes. This has been so successful that Amazon is now soon to put the system into place nationwide. By next Christmas, you could have all you Christmas presents delivered to your local corner shop to pick up and return at your convenience.