Amazon Lets Prime Members ‘Add to Delivery’

Amazon now lets Prime members tack last-minute items to deliver orders with one click.

It’s the basic idea behind “Add to Delivery,” rolled out by the eCommerce giant last week for its subscribers to let them avoid having to go through checkout again or pay added shipping fees.

“We’ve all been there,” the company wrote on its blog. “You place an Amazon order, then realize there’s something else you need — paper towels, cat treats, that book you meant to grab, a birthday card, or your favorite snacks. Maybe it’s five minutes later. Maybe five hours. Either way, you’d like it delivered with your next order.”

With Add to Delivery, users can find the product they need, tap the Add to Delivery button, and have their item automatically added to their upcoming delivery. Eligible items will feature a blue Add to Delivery button on their product detail page. If shoppers change their mind right away, they’ll see an “Undo” option to remove the product immediately.

“With this feature, Amazon is adapting to how people actually shop: one need at a time, as they arise,” the blog post added. “If we can still add to your delivery that’s arriving later today or tomorrow, you’ll see the Add to Delivery option as you shop, and with one tap you’ll be done.”

In other Amazon news, PYMNTS wrote last week about the company’s rivalry with Walmart, as that company launched a logistics partnership with Israeli Internet of Things specialist Wiliot, and Amazon debuted a new private label line for its grocery business.

Amazon Grocery, which promises quality products at everyday low prices — in many cases $5 or less — is “a clear shot at Walmart’s grocery stronghold at a time when consumers are increasingly price-sensitive,” PYMNTS wrote.

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Why Paycheck-to-Paycheck Consumers Can’t Weather a $2,000 Shock” showed that in August, almost 70% of U.S. consumers were living paycheck to paycheck, a number that leaves little room for surprise expenses.

Where Amazon and Walmart “converge is in automation as an enabler of margin expansion and customer experience,” that report added.

“Both see the future of grocery, the largest retail category by far, as hinging on how cheaply and quickly fresh goods can be moved, tracked and delivered.”