Amazon doesn't just want to dominate online shopping, it also wants to become the number one way you receive all your packages, regardless of who sent them. Proof of that comes in the form of Amazon Hub, which launched this week.
We've all become accustomed to seeing Amazon Lockers appearing in public locations. They offer a secure, self-service kiosk from which to retrieve Amazon orders. With the launch of Hub, Amazon is expanding the kiosk idea to include residential buildings and all packages sent by anyone, not just Amazon.
Hub is aimed at residential buildings housing many people, with the Hub hooked up in a shared, public area so it is accessible by all residence. It will accept deliveries from any carriers and store each package securely until a resident is ready to collect it. Opening the appropriate Hub box requires entering a code, which can be sent to your phone.
Amazon will offer Hubs starting at just six inches wide and in four neutral colors. They can also be located outside of a building as long as it's possible to hook it into a power supply. There's sure to be some costs involved, but Amazon isn't getting into the details just yet.
As Hubs will be able to accept packages from all carriers, companies such as FedEx and UPS will probably be feeling a little uneasy about exactly how far Amazon is going to take this idea. And as the Hubs can be positioned outside, there is a chance they could eventually tie into Prime Air deliveries. A Hub with a drone landing platform on top and the ability for a battery switch out is surely being considered.
