Amazon Prime, Amazon’s premium delivery service, has gone from offering subscribers free two-day delivery to expanding into a host of linked services such as on-demand video and TV streaming. But its latest bet tops them all: booze.
Amazon said on Tuesday that it will start delivering wine, beer and spirits to customers for the first time as part of its speedy delivery service, Prime Now, Reuters has reported.
Prime Now, which offers one- and two-hour delivery, started in New York last year to allow Amazon to start delivering fresh groceries. Users in Seattle will be the first to trial the service that lets them order alcohol via an app. The order is then shipped from smaller warehouses, called hubs, of which there are only two right now, one in Seattle and one in Kirkland, Washington.
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The service takes Amazon deeper into the growing market for on-demand grocery delivery that already includes companies like Instacart in the US and Postmates, which delivers meals and alcohol. It might also tempt new users to stump up the $99 annual fee to sign up to Prime.
Amazon users outside of Seattle might need to wait a bit longer to get the service. “We will continue to learn from customers and if they love the offering of alcohol in the Prime Now service, we will look to continue to expand the offering in other locations,” an Amazon spokesperson told GeekWire.
