Amazon launches new offline pickup feature to help sellers reduce pressure

Today, according to foreign media reports, Amazon is currently launching the "Local Sales" program, which is a set of offline services for store pickup that allows local and regional retailers to provide in-store pickup and fast delivery services to nearby customers.

Sellers can set up this through the Amazon backend, and products available for offline pickup will have a "store pickup" tab on the item page . When a customer places an order, they will receive a notification when the item is ready for offline pickup. Once the seller has prepared the item, the customer will have five days to go to the offline store to pick it up.

In addition to this, shoppers can also choose local delivery services, which are taken care of by the business or retailer. If the buyer selects the "arrange delivery" option at checkout , the local retailer will proactively contact the buyer to arrange the exact date and time of delivery. Some sellers may also provide installation services for some products, and buyers can check to add these items on the order.

“Our research shows that many customers choose local pickup when given the choice,” Jim Adkins, Amazon’s vice president of leisure and professional categories , said in a statement . “This new feature is an exciting way to help sellers reach and delight more customers with great products and convenient delivery.”

It is worth noting that as early as 2019, Amazon launched a "counter" service similar to offline pickup. Amazon tested the in-store pickup option, where shoppers can arrange to pick up their goods at a retail store. The service basically strengthens the cooperation between the company and retailers to arrange dedicated pickup counters in their stores to process online orders.

For sellers, this new delivery method also provides many conveniences. First of all, whether it is FBA sellers or FBM sellers, they can reduce the economic expenditure and economic pressure brought by express delivery to a certain extent. Secondly, sellers can communicate better with consumers. Sellers can not only give shoppers a better consumer experience, but also deal with after-sales problems of buyers in a timely manner, reducing the product return rate. Finally, offline pickup has also hit fraudulent buyers to a certain extent, reducing the problem of criminals taking advantage of return and refund policies to seek profits.

Currently, Amazon says the local selling policy will be expanded later this year and during 2022, and sellers interested in joining the program can apply starting today.

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