Photo courtesy of www.amazon.com
The Future Of
By: Jordan Missig PR Manager In the past, when you ordered something online you would normally get your product in a week’s time from the day you purchased it. Amazon has sped up that process and has your orders delivered to your doorstep in just two days or even showing up on the very same day (if you have Amazon Prime and placed your order in the morning). So how does a product go from warehouse shelf to doorstep in a matter of two days or less? It is all about logistics. Amazon has trucks that carry more than 2,000 boxes at a time. Not only that but they use a variety of other transport carriers like Fedex, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service for ground transport. According to www.cnbc.com, “Amazon spends tens of billions of dollars a year and employs nearly 250,000 workers in U.S. warehouses. Amazon ramped up its shipping capabilities, with at least 50 of its own airplanes that can carry up to 30 containers worth of packages, 300 semi-trucks, and 20,000 Amazon vans for last-mile delivery.”
For the future, Amazon is planning on coming out with cashier-less supermarkets. According to www.cnbcnews.com, “Shoppers can walk in, scan the Amazon app on a turnstile and purchase products without waiting in a checkout line. Cameras and other sensors throughout the store monitor which items you take with you and charge you automatically when you leave.” Amazon has recently opened its first cashier-less supermarket store near its headquarters in Seattle and are soon looking to expand these stores across the nation.
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Photo courtesy of www.geekwire.com
It’s amazing how a company like Amazon, which was started in 1994 as an online marketplace for books, has turned into an online super mall. USF student and Marketing major Christopher Kelley said, “It has created a positive for adding many jobs for people to work. It’s a good thing for a household of two working adults who have kids and have
limited time. But a negative that comes from Amazon is that it takes away from many retail stores and their customer business.” Over the past couple of years, more and more stores have closed their doors. According to www.adweek.com, “As online store sales have increased exponentially, Amazon has been credited with single-handedly killing Borders, Toys R Us, Sears, J. Crew and countless other stores that have filed for bankruptcy and closed their doors for good.” Retail stores like Walmart have been able to avoid financial mismanagement and are keeping their prices low; it knows that in the long run, it can actually add to their profits and not require the hiring additional workers during holiday seasons.
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