Amazon wants to tweak the way it delivers parcels across the US by partnering with at least 2,500 small businesses across 23 states by the end of this year.
With the launch of Amazon Hub Delivery, the ecommerce giant wants to help customers get their parcels in a more convenient and timely manner by partnering with smaller businesses that otherwise have free time in their day.
The scheme will see businesses like florists, coffee shops, clothing boutiques, gas stations, plumbers, and hair salons all take on the role of distributing parcels to Amazon’s customers.
Amazon Hub Delivery is expanding
The program has already been tested in a number of America’s rural areas, and the company is now trialing it in some of the most populous cities like New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Boston.
Those who sign up to the scheme are promised annual incremental income figures of up to $27,000 per year which would go a long way to securing funding for overheads in this tough economy.
In its announcement, Amazon describes LaKeisha Palmer of CK Craft Supply, a Missouri businesswoman whose company had struggled coming out of the pandemic. Amazon says that delivering around 40 parcels in about two hours has brought in enough income for Palmer to sustain business when footfall is low.
According to Amazon, partners typically receive 30 parcels seven days a week, with the exception of major holidays, and have the freedom to deliver when it suits them.
The expansion of Amazon Hub Delivery now means that the company is looking to recruit partners in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin, and prospective partners are being invited to sign up via amazon.com/hubdelivery.
TechRadar Pro has asked Amazon to confirm figures on a per-parcel basis, and whether partners must deliver packages or whether they can offer pick-up services in their own stores. We also asked about plans to roll out globally. Any comment will be posted here.