There is a new way for Amazon Prime subscribers in the USA to get their food shop from their local Whole Foods Market branch. By using the Prime Now app to order, they can just drive in and have their purchases brought to their car directly. It’s such an astonishly simple idea it seems odd that its not already a commonplace service offered by supermarkets. The new grocery pickup service will initially be offered in Sacramento and Virginia Beach, with more cities to come throughout 2018.
Pickup from Whole Foods Market is a perfect option for customers who want to grab healthy and organic groceries at their convenience, all without leaving their car. A customer can order at 5:00 p.m., pick up at 5:30 p.m., and we’ll have their groceries loaded into their car just minutes after arrival. For an even faster experience, customers can tell us they are on their way using the Prime Now app and groceries will be ready as they arrive.
– Stephenie Landry, Worldwide Vice President of Prime Now, AmazonFresh and Amazon Restaurants.
To organise a grocery pickup, Prime members need to place their order via the Prime Now app and choose the pickup option as they check out. Customers can choose free pickup in as little as an hour on orders of $35, or in 30 minutes for an additional $4.99. On arrival at the Whole Foods Market store, customers park in a reserved pickup spot and a Prime Now shopper will put the groceries into their car within minutes. For customers who use the app to say that they are on their way, their grocery shop will be ready as they arrive without a wait.
It’s another good example of how Amazon’s intense customer focus, combined with creativity, can be used to create new services that offer convenience for shoppers. It seems likely that other grocery shops will be offering similar services in the none-too-distant future.
