Amazon launches same-day delivery in seven cities

Amazon.com is about to make one of its core customer groups — tech-savvy urbanites — very happy. The ecommerce giant today introduced same-day delivery in seven cities: New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Seattle and Washington D.C. The company says it will extend the service, called Local Express Delivery, to Chicago, Indianapolis and Phoenix "in the coming months."

The new service isn't cheap. Amazon Prime members (who already fork over a $79 per year) will pay $5.99 per item for same-day delivery. Other customers pay more. Someone who orders books, for example, would pay $14.49 plus $3.99 per item, according to Amazon's shipping chart.

"Now, if a customer needs a last-minute present for a birthday or wants a copy of their book club book before the weekend starts, they can order from Amazon instead of the hassle of a last-minute trip to the mall," said Girish Lakshman, Amazon vice president of transportation, in a statement.

People must place their orders by certain cut-off times for same-day delivery. Amazon is also adding new Saturday shipping options. More information here.

This same-day delivery could help the company drive people toward Amazon Prime.

I'm wondering if it also gives a hint of Amazon's plans for its experimental grocery delivery service, Amazon Fresh. Amazon Fresh is expanding to cover the entire metro Seattle area by the end of the year and the question now is: Will it ever go national? Amazon's blueprint for same-day delivery shows that it is enhancing its distribution capability in key urban centers, which might also be markets for grocery delivery as well.

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About Eric Engleman

ERIC ENGLEMAN is senior technology staff writer for TechFlash and the Puget Sound Business Journal, covering online retail giant Amazon.com. Engleman tracks Amazon's increasingly complex business, spanning ecommerce, Kindle, cloud computing, and more. He's been covering technology and other industries for the Business Journal since 2003.

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