Amazon Is Shutting Down Prime Now, Folding Two-Hour Deliveries Into Its Main App

Amazon is shutting down its standalone Prime Now delivery app, with its speedy two-hour delivery options moving exclusively into the company's main app and website, the company announced today. The standalone Prime Now app and website will be retired by the end of the year. The Verge reports: Originally launched in 2014, Prime Now was designed to offer deliveries of essential items within hours rather than days for Prime members. The service was initially available in just a small number of cities, but has since expanded to over 5,000 locations around the world, CNBC notes. Writing in a blog post, Amazon's vice president of grocery Stephenie Landry said shutting down the separate app will "make this experience even more seamless for customers."

Two-hour delivery options from Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods have been available on the main Amazon site and app in the US since 2019, but the company says third-party partners and local stores around the world will be moved onto its main service by the end of the year. These include local stores like Bartell's in Seattle, Morrisons in Leeds, or Monoprix in Paris.

Beta into release

[The New Guy 2.0]

Amazon's off-site ventures seem to be either merged into Amazon.com or deleted after about eight years or so. So, this one seems to have left Beta and moved into the released category.

Re:

[arglebargle_xiv]

You can see why, it makes (near-)instant gratification even easier to achieve, which means even more profit for Amazon. Shiny, want, right now! So the beta in this case wasn't "will the public want it", it was "can we make the near-instant gratification work effectively enough that the ensuing extra profits make the effort worthwhile?".

I Shut Down Prime

[Cmdln Daco]

Last week I shut down Prime. That is, I decided to stop paying for it.

Now I will pay the same shipping no matter where I order from. There are a lot of other websites to shop on.

Re:

[franzrogar]

Let's see...

36 EUR/year, Amazon.

7 EUR/each parcel, everywhere else.

Do I buy 6 or more times online each year? Yes. More than thrice.

Cheaper option? Amazon. Saving more than 80 EUR/year.

Re:

[Cmdln Daco]

I would rather not feel forced to buy within a single retail channel.

Amazon does NOT always have the best prices. How could they? Bezos isn't runnning a charity.

Re:

[franzrogar]

I do not buy EVERYTHING from Amazon.

There are many other sites that makes discounts or have free shipment from a high amount.

But, the core of items I use and require for my work can be found on Amazon at the same or lower prices than other shops, thus avoiding to pay shipment for small buys.

When are they shutting it down?

[backslashdot]

Now?

Okay

[CrappySnackPlane]

Okay, hands up - who else here went through a moment of astounded befuddlement ("wait, holy shit, they're doing away with Amazon Prime!?") before realizing that, no, Amazon isn't shutting down Prime now, they're shutting down Prime Now?

Re:

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

Okay, hands up - who else here went through a moment of astounded befuddlement

Technically yes... a 'moment' being the length of time between reading 'Prime Now' and the comma that immediately followed.