Delivery experts ParcelHero say Amazon’s Uber-inspired scheme that turns car owners into delivery drivers will transform deliveries.
E-commerce delivery experts ParcelHero say Amazon’s launch of its revolutionary ‘Uber’-style Amazon Flex App in Birmingham this month will transform home deliveries. The UK launch, first revealed in yesterday’s Financial Times, means car owners can deliver Prime Now/Same Day items directly to customers’ homes using the new App.
ParcelHero’s Head of Public Relations, David Jinks MILT says: ‘By launching its new crowdsourced driver scheme in the UK Amazon steals a march on Uber, who have been slow to get their UberRUSH ‘Uber for things’ delivery service off the ground in the UK. Turning its local customers into delivery drivers means Amazon can give even more delivery choices to shoppers while slashing its own logistics overheads.’
Amazon’s Prime Members are 50% more likely to order items through Amazon than elsewhere, and it is the choice of delivery options that keeps them loyal. By turning local motorists into delivery drivers even swifter deliveries can be achieved.
Amazon estimates that its Flex drivers will be paid between £13 and £15 an hour including tips. The e-commerce giant has been advertising on jobsites since June, and the Flex App will allow the company’s part-time drivers to choose when and where they want to work, as well as guiding them to customers’ homes and allowing customers to track their orders – just as they would an Uber cab. Amazon says it’s a great opportunity for drivers to ‘Be your own boss: make great money, delivering when you want’.
David adds: ‘Last year our report, ‘Amazon’s Prime Ambition’ highlighted Amazon’s far-sighted plans for its beta ‘My Way’ App: which enabled everyday people to deliver items. It led to the successful roll-out of Amazon Flex in cities across the US. UK cities such as London and Birmingham are an ideal scale for Prime Now one hour deliveries, so the UK is a natural fit for the expansion of Flex.’
Predicts David: ‘Crowd-sourcing and the so called gig economy are ideally suited to local deliveries and it’s a certainty Amazon won’t be the only big name to turn its own customers into delivery drivers.’