Amazon ups the ante with same day delivery and first store

John Pincott, Managing Director, Europe, Shopatron discusses the potential motives behind the opening, consumer preference for hassle-free shopping experiences and the need for smaller retailers to seriously consider how their offerings compare.

Although online has changed consumers expectation of what shopping should be like, research shows time and time again that we still love the convenience and customer services that come with buying items in-person. For the retailer, giving customers in store pick-up services and the option to buy additional products in a physical location drives footfall and increases the opportunity for them to see other products they’d also like to buy. 

 This is further proof that smaller and specialised retailers wishing to compete and avoid disappearing off the high-street in the face of such a challenge by the retail giants need to seriously consider how their offering compares. The final piece of any online retailer’s consumer offering is to allow a physical location in which shoppers can interact with the store and pick-up goods in a way convenient for them, for example, through ‘click and collect’.

This is a smart move by Amazon, by enabling customers to move freely between their physical and online stores and giving customers what they want in a hassle-free experience, shoppers will have less reason to look elsewhere this Christmas season.