- Amazon said it plans to shut down the standalone Prime Now site and app by the end of the year.
- Prime Now services will be available on the main Amazon website and app.
- The company said the move is designed to simplify the Amazon shopping experience.
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Amazon said it plans to discontinue its Prime Now fast-delivery app by the end of the year.
The company made the announcement via a blog post on its website on Friday. It will direct users to order their fast-delivery products, including groceries and other goods, directly through the Amazon app or website instead of the standalone Prime Now app and website.
The two-hour grocery deliveries will be available through Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods on the site. Users will also still be able to order products for fast delivery via the third-party stores that were available on Prime Now.
Stephenie Landry, vice president of grocery at Amazon, said the move to discontinue the app is ultimately about making shopping more convenient for customers.
"Whether it's two-hour delivery from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, or one of our local stores like Bartell's in Seattle, Morrisons in Leeds, or Monoprix in Paris, Prime members will find what they need alongside the millions of items available on Amazon," Landry said in the blog post.
Over the past year, Amazon has been gradually shifting Prime Now users from the standalone app to the company's main website. Amazon also added a pop-up in the Prime Now app that directs users to the main Amazon website.
Prime Now was initially launched in 2014 as a service that rapidly delivered anything from groceries and household goods to books and toys for a small fee. Now the company offers two-hour deliveries without any additional fees.
Upon its release, the service became fairly popular and was launched across 5,000 cities. It expanded so quickly that the company even created warehouses dedicated solely to Prime Now.
The shift of Prime Now services to the company's main website represents an overall move from Amazon to streamline and simplify its services.
Earlier in the year, the company discontinued its Prime Pantry service. Prime Pantry was a nonperishable food-delivery service that provided products within 24-48 hours of ordering. It was Amazon's first foray into online food delivery, but has since been moved to the company's main retail page.