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Amazon aims to keep holiday deliveries ‘spoiler free’

Written by Tom Ryan

Photo: Amazon

Amazon.com has introduced a number of holiday delivery options designed in part to ensure gifts stay “spoiler free” by helping keep them a surprise. “This year many customers and their families are opting to stay home so the challenge of keeping those special gifts under wraps from family, friends or loved ones is going to be greater than ever,” explains John Felton, VP of Amazon Global Delivery Services, in a statement. “We’re helping customers keep their orders a surprise this year and have a number of ways we’re providing them more flexibility, control and convenience over their deliveries.” The options, some old and some new, are also designed to provide consumers with a higher level of convenience and to reduce anxieties around packages arriving on time or getting stolen. [caption id="attachment_120926" align="aligncenter" width="666"]Amazon aims to keep holiday deliveries ‘spoiler free’ Source: Amazon[/caption] Among Amazon’s delivery options:
  1. Map tracking: Consumers can view the progress of deliveries on a map in real-time when the driver is close. 
  2. Share tracking: Tracking information can be sent to friends or family so they know when to expect their package.
  3. Photo-on-delivery: Customers can receive a visual delivery confirmation that their package was delivered and where it was placed by the driver. 
  4. Estimated delivery window: Customers can sign up for a two-to-four hour estimated delivery window to ensure they’ll be home to receive their delivery.
  5. Amazon Day: A Prime-perk allows members to receive all of their orders on one day of the week, reducing the number of packages “and making it easier to protect holiday surprises from being discovered by your household.”
  6. Key In-Garage Delivery: Eligible Prime members are able to receive packages inside their garages. 
  7. Hub deliveries: Amazon will reroute shipments to alternative pick-up locations, including Whole Foods, Rite Aid, 7-Eleven and GNC stores. Amazon 4-star or Amazon Books were added as Hub drop-off points this year.
Amazon’s Echo Devices, which also announce when packages arrive at a household, will refrain from audibly disclosing what’s in new boxes that arrive during the holiday season to avoid giving away any surprises. A new survey from ShipStation found that while U.S. consumers are patient with extended delivery times amid the pandemic, 79 percent agree that their experiences this year have increased expectations around brand communications when it comes to delays or cancellation updates. 

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