As Amazon continues its efforts to be the only store you ever need, it is finding it harder and harder to get customers’ packages delivered on time. Recently the company added free one-day shipping for Prime members in select cities, making this an even tougher challenge.
Now it seems that the company may be taking a novel approach to solving its delivery problem. Amazon could be looking into developing an app — currently going by the name of “On My Way” — with the goal of letting everyday people deliver packages instead of the old standbys UPS and FedEx, the Wall Street Journal reports.
If you’re worried about a sketchy stranger showing up at your door with your Prime Pantry order in hand, that’s certainly understandable, but it isn’t quite how things would work. Instead, the plan calls for Amazon to enlist local retailers to store the packages, and people would pick up and drop off packages at these locations.
There is no word on when this new service might possibly launch, and according to the Wall Street Journal’s sources, it’s possible that the project may not move forward at all. Considering the other approaches Amazon has been taking in order to speed up deliveries, though, the plan certainly fits in with the company’s recent efforts.
Last month we reported that Amazon had begun using pushcarts in the subways of New York to speed up Prime Now deliveries, and the company has also begun working with restaurants and retailers in the city to facilitate local deliveries. When combined, these two ideas certainly give us a small glimpse of what “On My Way” could look like.
While the idea seems like it could be a good thing for Amazon and customers alike, it also raises some interesting questions — for example, how would the company go about preventing theft? That question alone shows that professional parcel services don’t have to worry about going out of business any time soon.
