Logistics King Amazon continues its ruthless attack on delivery times with Prime Now, a one hour delivery service that launched today in parts of Manhattan.
The service, which is only available to Amazon customers who pay an annual $99 for Prime membership, costs $7.99 for one hour delivery. For those who can hold out 60 minutes longer, however, there's no charge: Two-hour delivery is free. The service is available from 6 a.m. to midnight every day of the week.
Tens of thousands of daily items are currently available for delivery on the Prime Now app.
Related: Amazon Job Postings Hint at Expansion of Same-Day Delivery Program
The service's appeal as a time-saver is obvious, and its rollout marks a significant milestone in Amazons quest to truly compete with brick-and-mortar stores. It's hard to fight a program that makes consumers' lives more convenient, and it doesn't get much more convenient than having essential items delivered to your door in about the time it would take to go out and buy them. "There are times when you can’t make it to the store and other times when you simply don’t want to go," David Clark, Amazon's senior vice president of worldwide operations, said in a statement. "There are so many reasons to skip the trip and now Prime members in Manhattan can get the items they need delivered in an hour or less."
It's yet be determined, however, if the high-cost logistics will be sustainable in New York or beyond. The company says that it plans to bring the service to additional cities in 2015.
Watch Amazon's video about the rollout below.
Related: Amazon Prime Members Are Starting to Get Free Shipping on Other Websites
Laura Entis
Laura Entis is a reporter for Fortune.com's Venture section.
Read more
