If you live in Manhattan, getting batteries — or tens of thousands of other daily essentials — just got a bit easier, and you don’t even have get off your couch.
Amazon (AMZN) announced today the launch of Prime Now, a one-hour delivery service for customers who are members of Amazon’s Prime service. Using a smart phone app, members of the service will be able to get items such as “paper towels, shampoo, books, toys and batteries” delivered within one hour, according to a company news release.
One-hour delivery will cost $7.99, while those who are a bit more flexible can get two-hour delivery for free. The service is available seven days a week between 6 a.m. and midnight.
“There are times when you can’t make it to the store and other times when you simply don’t want to go. 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,” Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, said in a statement.
Prime Now is powered by Amazon’s growing network of fulfillment centers. It is launching in parts of New York, and will be available in other cities next year.
Major retailers are battling to improve their delivery times. Earlier this week, Amazon extended the deadline for placing Christmas orders to this Friday. Wal-Mart (WMT), meanwhile, announced today that shoppers could place an order on Walmart.com up till Dec. 23 and get free pickup in stores on Christmas Eve.
Who knows what these deals will mean for the companies’ margins, but the deals are definitely good for one group: holiday shopping procrastinations.