Jeff Bezos’ Plan For Amazon: From Groceries To Smart Homes
Amazon bought Whole Foods Market in 2017. Since then, Jeff Bezos’ billion-dollar company has started to make waves in the food industry, specifically on how people buy their groceries. With the introduction of Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go, Bezos’ tech company is teaching society a new way of living, one the incorporates everyday tasks with new technology. Bezos’ next step for Amazon will push the limits even further.
Recently, Amazon announced that Prime customers in San Francisco and Atlanta now have access to free two-hour delivery for groceries from Whole Foods Market. According to Fortune, customers must spend a more than USD $35 to be eligible for the service and can pay an additional USD $7.99 if they want their order within an hour.
John Mackey, the CEO, and co-founder of Whole Foods expressed his satisfaction with Amazon’s two-hour delivery service and how happy he was that the service would be available to Prime members in San Francisco and Atlanta.
“Together, we have already lowered prices on many items, and this offering makes Prime customers’ lives even easier.”
Amazon’s delivery service is already available to Prime members in several other states, including Dallas, Austin, and Virginia Beach. The tech giant plans to take its two-hour delivery service to Philadelphia next, reported Pennlive.
Six new Amazon Go stores could open this year: https://t.co/Rq6sX1cPhv pic.twitter.com/bj7LKZhdj6
— Food & Wine (@foodandwine) March 3, 2018
From Home Delivery Service To Smart Homes
Moves like Amazon’s two-hour free delivery of Whole Foods products, is slowly helping people get used to the idea of buying groceries online. By doing this, the tech-giant has started to introduce a new form of living that incorporates simple daily tasks—like buying groceries—and technology into people’s daily lives.
Where the future will lead Amazon and other companies like it, only time can tell. However, there are some hints about Bezos’ plan for his growing company.
According to Brink Wire, Amazon bought a company named Ring, which specialized in making equipment for turning ordinary homes into smart homes. The site speculates that the next step for Amazon is to provide smart home equipment, like security cameras and smart locks.
The idea is not too far-fetched since Amazon has found a way to be welcomed into people’s homes through the home delivery service of their groceries. According to Brink News, customers used to be wary of buying food online. Having someone else pick out fruits and vegetables could be a trust test in and of itself. Then there were the deliveries which had a set of problems of their own.
However, Amazon has found a system that allows their customers to buy groceries from home without having to worry about food being spoiled or their deliveries being stolen. With the array of smart equipment available at Ring, Amazon would probably start improving their delivery service further.
Who needs privacy when you've got Amazon? https://t.co/sc5obanq8e
— Futurism (@futurism) March 6, 2018
Currently, Amazon delivery people have to take photos of their delivered packages to prove that it arrived safely to the right address, reported Logistics Managers News. Even if the package does arrive safely on your doorstep, however, there is no guarantee that it will not be stolen. So, some customers have signed up for Amazon Key which allows trusted delivery people to enter the customers’ home and put the groceries they ordered online away.
Amazon collaborated with other companies that build smart products, like smart locks to make Amazon Key a reality. With the acquisition of Ring, however, Amazon can build its own smart locks, security cameras, etc. and other smart home equipment. As a result, Bezos can increase Alexa’s capability and place in people’s homes.
When put in this perspective, Amazon’s acquisition of the Whole Foods Market and Ring seems to be Bezos paving a new lifestyle for people in this new tech-centered world.
