Amazon Prime Now Expansion: Raises the Gauntlet to Traditional Retailers

Nobody can argue with Amazon’s rapid expansion, and the fact that it’s significantly changed the landscape not just in the eCommerce sphere but for retail in general, redefining expectations and standards for trade and purchasing in all its forms.

However, one significant advantage that brick-and-mortar retailers could consistently boast that Amazon could not was the fact that a consumer could acquire the object they needed on the same day, or even the same hour, by physically showing up at their store to purchase the item.

All that began to change though this past year, when Amazon introduced Prime Now for New York City a service that offers same-day delivery to Prime members, with one-hour, two-hour, and same-day delivery options.

What was noted immediately by consumers, businesses, and the press was the novelty of this feature, as well as the impressive infrastructure and resources needed to maintain such a system.

But as the service expands into new cities by the month if not by the week, what appeared to be a nifty bonus for loyal Prime members might in fact be a strategic business decision that establishes Amazon as not just innovative and ultra-convenient but as something far more significant: a valid alternative to brick-and-mortar retail. Or, as Business Insider describes it so aptly, an instant gratification business.

With same-day delivery options available in 14 metropolitan areas and no signs of slowing down, Amazon is posed to present not only a viable alternative to traditional retail but a better one.

Amazon Prime Same-Day Delivery Now Free in 14 cities

The Instant Gratification Market

Amazon Expands Prime Now

List of Cities with Prime Now