Blog

Amazon Delivers Drinks And Snacks In Two Minutes With New Instant Pickup Service

SEATTLE- Amazon's latest service, Instant Pickup , allows customers to order snacks, drinks, chargers and other impulse items and pick them up from a self-service locker within minutes. The online retail pioneer kicked off the service, available only to its Prime members, on Aug. 15 at five of its staffed locations already in operation on college campuses for traditional pickups in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Berkeley, CA, Columbus, OH, and College Park, MD. Customers use the Amazon app to browse a sel...

August 20, 2017 by Emily Jed

SEATTLE –- Amazon's latest service, Instant Pickup, allows customers to order snacks, drinks, chargers and other impulse items and pick them up from a self-service locker within minutes. The online retail pioneer kicked off the service, available only to its Prime members, on Aug. 15 at five of its staffed locations already in operation on college campuses for traditional pickups in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Berkeley, CA, Columbus, OH, and College Park, MD. 

Customers use the Amazon app to browse a selection of "need-it-now" items like food, cold drinks, personal care items and electronics. An Amazon employee then fills the pickup locker within minutes of the order. The app provides a barcode that customers use to access the lockers and pick up their orders.



"Instant Pickup is another way Amazon is making life more convenient for Prime members," said Amazon director of student programs Ripley MacDonald. "As shopping behaviors continue to evolve, customers consistently tell us that they want items even faster."

Amazon said it plans to expand pickup service to more locations over the next few months. The online retail giant operates 22 staffed pickup locations in the U.S.

Instant Pickup is the latest in a series of services aimed at Prime members to give them faster access to merchandise. Prime Now, a two-hour delivery service, launched in central Ohio last year. Amazon Restaurants offers delivery from dozens of restaurants.

Meanwhile, Walmart has been testing an automated kiosk where customers can pick up online grocery orders. | READ MORE