Amazon Rolls Out Instant Pickup In Five Markets; More To Come

Amazon, the eCommerce giant, announced Tuesday (Aug. 15) the launch of Instant Pickup, a free service for Prime and Prime Student members in which they can purchase a curated selection of daily essentials available for pickup in two minutes or less.

According to a press release, Amazon said the service will be available in five pickup locations in  Los Angeles; Atlanta; Berkeley, Calif.; Columbus, Ohio; and College Park, Md. Items available with Instant Pickup include snacks, drinks and electronics, as well as some of Amazon’s most popular devices.

“Instant Pickup is another way Amazon is making life more convenient for Prime members,” said Ripley MacDonald, director of student programs at Amazon  in the press release. “As shopping behaviors continue to evolve, customers consistently tell us that they want items even faster. Whether it’s a snack on-the-go, replacing a lost phone charger in the middle of a hectic day or adding Alexa to your life with an Echo, Instant Pickup saves Prime members time. While Instant Pickup is available at select pickup locations today, we’re excited about bringing this experience to more customers soon.”

With Instant Pickup, Prime and Prime Student members can use the Amazon App to shop hundreds of items, including food, cold drinks, personal care items, technology essentials and Amazon devices like the Echo, Echo Dot, Fire TV and a selection of Fire tablets and Kindle e-readers. Prime members can browse the selection, place an order, even add last-minute items to an online order and pick it up from a self-service locker – all within two minutes or less. Amazon said it plans to expand the service to more locations during the course of the next few months. All Amazon customers can ship their orders to a pickup location, and Prime members receive free same-Day and one-day delivery on millions of items. Returns are always free, the eCommerce company said in the press release.