On Friday, Amazon announced that it would be shutting down Prime Now platforms across the nation. This standalone platform, which debuted in 2014, was used to deliver goods quickly, within a couple of hours. It charged a small fee and was popular for delivering grocery, toys, books, and household essentials. Initially available in select cities, the delivery range later included over 5,000 cities and towns and the two-hour delivery also became a free service. Now, Amazon is directing its users away from the Prime Now platform to its Amazon app or website.
The e-commerce company said that the platform will no longer be available across the world by the end of the year. The shutdown process has been on from a while and recently the Prime app has been featuring a pop-up that takes users to the app or website. Prime Now has already shut shop in India, Japan, and Singapore.
The Amazon app or website will let consumers choose the two-hour delivery option through Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods. Third party retailer and local stores such as Bartell Drugs, a Seattle based pharmacy and Union Square Wines & Spirits, based in New York City, have also been moved to the app and website.
Stephanie Landry, the vice president of grocery at the company said that they moved Prime Now app to the Amazon app to make the shopping experience more seamless and to give the consumers a wider choice of all that Amazon has to offer at one location.
In 2017, Amazon acquired Whole Foods, the upmarket chain for $13.4 billion. In 2020, it started its own chain of grocery stores called Fresh. It is attempting to streamline all its operations under the Amazon app and website by also closing Prime Pantry in January. GeekWire reported that Amazon had closed the Go Grocery store in Redmond Washington. It has rebranded its Seattle’s Capitol Hill Go Grocery store. It is now called “Amazon Fresh.”
