This Year’s Prime Day Focus: Save Amazon Shipping Costs?

Amazon has used Prime Day to do more than move tons of merchandise. It also seeks to shape customer behavior and establish new habits. In past years Prime Day has been used to highlight Amazon Prime Video offerings, collect mobile phone numbers, encourage installing the Amazon Shopping App, push sales of Echo smart speakers and voice shopping, and of course, sell Prime memberships. This year, Amazon may want customers to use more economical shipping options, notably, Amazon Pickup Locations. 

For 2024 Prime Day, Business Insider reports Amazon will encourage Prime Day customers to take delivery of their purchases at someplace other than their home or office, ideally an Amazon Locker, Amazon Hub storefront, or a Whole Foods store. 

You see, almost all Amazon deliveries go to a customer residence, where Amazon takes on the “last mile” and drops off an individual package. In the past twelve months, a whopping 96% of US Amazon deliveries are to a residence (Chart 1).