The new service allows Prime loyalty club members fill up to a 45-pound virtual box with four cubic feet of groceries and get it shipped for a flat rate of $5.99, offering users an expanded selection of items that they usually pick up in grocery stores.
To help you stay within that weight limit, a virtual Amazon cardboard box will show you how much room is left, filling the box as you order. While you could easily fill a Prime Pantry box with your favourite treats, the programme is especially attractive for customers who want to stock up on heavier and bulkier items that don't usually ship free of charge.
Prime Pantry seems designed to help Amazon solve the problem of customers who need smaller items that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive to ship. It would potentially eliminate a need to go to the local grocery store, though a spokeswoman said delivery is only guaranteed within four days.
Although the new US service obviously poses a threat to traditional grocers and will no doubt be fast-forwarded in terms of delivery times and roll-out, the real innovation appears to be the virtual box that fills as you shop, and measures purchases by weight & volume, rather than price....
Another breakthrough for Amazing Amazon, or at least a worthwhile watch?
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