According to the Wall Street Journal, an Amazon Bike Delivery service will be tested in Manhattan.
The service will use bike messengers that already exist in the city, promising buyers to receive orders within an hour.
The name of the new service is not set in stone, but the WSJ says it could be called Amazon Prime Now.
The beta test will cost New Yorkers $5 for the one-hour delivery and $0 for those willing to wait a several hours. These customers are encouraged to tip the rider for their trouble.
Amazon’s bike delivery service will be the fasted delivery option the giant online retailer offers.
It’s still unknown when the service will officially launch in Manhattan and whether or not Amazon expects to expand their plan to the other boroughs.
The company will have a few time trials with bicycle messenger companies before officially choosing one.
Amazon has been brainstorming several different ways to improve delivery times for the future. More people than ever are shopping online, finding it a lot easier than driving to a brick and mortar store. It’s estimated that U.S. retail e-commerce sales will increase to nearly $500 billion by 2018, a little over $200 billion more than that of 2013.
These future predictions tell us that Amazon, along with other online retailers, are going to need a solid delivery plan.
Last year, Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, announced a plan to use aerial drones as a new and quick delivery service. This futuristic strategy would allow small packages within a 10-mile radius to be delivered to the buyer’s address in 30 minutes. The complex plan could take around half a decade to launch, which would be near 2018.
If Bezos succeeds, they may be the most equipped to handle the expected increase in online purchasing. But until then, Amazon’s bike delivery service will reign. At least in Manhattan.