Proactive Investors - Amazon Prime members in the US will now be able to have groceries delivered for free from a range of retailers, the group announced today.
Prime members based in 3,500 cities across the US will be able to access the new benefit at no additional cost to the US$9.99 monthly subscription price.
Members will be able to receive free deliveries on orders of more than US$35 from retailers including Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, Pet Food Express, and Bartell Drugs.
Additional perks include discounts on products at Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market stores, free one-hour delivery slots and unlimited 30-minute pick-up orders of any size.
Customers will also receive priority access to recurring reservations.
Tony Hoggett, vice president of worldwide grocery stores at Amazon said: “Our goal is to build a best-in-class grocery shopping experience—whether shopping in-store or online”.
Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN, ETR:AMZ) shares lifted marginally ahead of the open, hovering around the US$178 mark.
Next week, the e-commerce giant will update on its first quarter and while its advertising and AWS divisions are likely to take the limelight, its retail business will also be under inspection.
Analysts at the bank believe Amazon could suffer from a slight deceleration in its retail business going forward, but are confident its margin set-up can help offset this.
Despite industry data indicating US e-commerce growth is accelerating, analysts warned that the second quarter may be weaker due to Easter and the “Big Spring Sale” taking place in the first quarter.