Amazon.com is expanding its point-and-click grocery shopping service, Amazon Fresh to Park Slope in Brooklyn, New York on Friday, Oct. 17.
Online Retail giant chose Brooklyn's high-end Park Slope, one of the densest and wealthiest neighbourhoods in the United States to ground their online grocery service, AmazonFresh.
"They are the sweetest of shoppers so anybody who attracts that business is taking the cream of the market," Bill Bishop, chief architect at consulting firm Brick Meets Click said in a statement in Reuters.
AmazonFresh program offers same-day or next-day delivery or early-morning delivery (placed by 10 p.m. the night before) of over 500,000 food items including fruits and vegetables, dairy, meats, household products and a wide variety of goods from local New York specialty shops.
Amazon Fresh allows customers to order groceries online and then delivers the goods right at their doorsteps.
The No. 1 United States retailer first debuted the AmazonFresh program in Seattle and has now already made available in Los Angeles and San Francisco Calif. It will also plan to expand to other areas in Brooklyn as well, although the company did not disclose information if it also plans to put up stores in Manhattan or other parts of the New York metro area.
Meanwhile, the concept of online shopping and delivery has in fact long been present in the e-commerce industry. Other retail companies are also climbing in on the trend and offer online grocery and delivery like Fresh Direct and Instacart.
Amazon wanted to materialize its "Fresh" program, entering into the world of e-commerce.
The company is facing tough competition in New York, with several neighbourhood food stores in every corner like cheese shops, mid-sized supermarkets, the Park Slope Food Corp and an emerging Whole Foods Market right across 3rd Avenue in Gowanus.
However, AmazonFresh's edge remains on its "convenience factor," offering customers less hassle in ordering their food by bringing it to them personally.
AmazonFresh is currently only available to members of Amazon's $99 per year program. After that promo, the company will start to charge $299 per year for its Prime Fresh program, which consists of grocery delivery with free two-day shipping, among other perks.
