With the Holidays now here, chances are you have done some, if not all, of your present and gift shopping online. This is a trend which has been on the up for a few years now and is unlikely to be one which subsides anytime soon. In fact, as well as online sales increasing, sales completed through mobile devices specifically also see to be increasing. Well, if you did purchase some gifts online, then there is also a high chance that one of them was from Amazon.
The company’s rapid growth is one of the reasons as to why they have continually looked for new ways to deliver goods to consumers. As well as already offering their standard two-day delivery through Prime Membership, the company has also been dabbling with Prime Now. Which is Prime delivery but within an hour of ordering. Not to mention, it has been widely reported that Amazon has also been toying with the idea of using drones for delivery. Using this newer form of technology will allow for an even more quicker time-scale of delivery. While also offering Amazon the opportunity to be less dependent on third-party delivery companies like UPS.
While it is all well and good to offer customers quicker deliveries, this last particular point, third party dependency, seems to be one of the clear driving factors in Amazon’s approach to less than orthodox delivery methods. As making sure goods get to where they are, in a timely manner (and especially around this time of year), is probably higher up the company’s agenda then simply faster shipping. As a result, reports are now starting to come though suggesting that Amazon is considering leasing jets to further facilitate their own in-house delivery infrastructure and again, reducing dependency on third party companies.
The information comes from sources who have revealed to the Seattle Times, that Amazon are trying to secure roughly twenty Boeing 767 jets for the purpose of aiding their deliveries. The report does suggest that Amazon’s long term goal is to actually purchase a number of jets, but due to the licensing needed to operate in airspace the company is temporarily thinking of leasing the jets from a number of carriers and having them operate the jets for the movement of Amazon’s products. Although, some of the other suggestions being made, is that Amazon might also be considering opening up their infrastructure (once the jets are in use) to allow delivery of non-Amazon sold goods. Essentially, becoming a delivery service for others and competing with the likes that they are currently reported to be looking to break dependence from.