Amazon knows its customers so well that it wants to send them packages before they place an order. Last month, an American retailer received a patent for the so-called forward shipping, which involves the pre-delivery of goods to the buyer - before he presses the virtual “Buy” button, the newspaper The Wall Street Journal writes.
The new system can shorten the delivery time and convince consumers to stop visiting traditional stores in favor of their virtual counterparts. A document submitted by Amazon to the US Patent Office states that delays between ordering and delivery of goods may scare off online shopping visitors from making purchases.
So, Amazon says it can pack and ship products to transit places where it will wait for its future owner until he decides to place an order. The order history, search queries, basket contents and other important factors are taken into account, for example, keeping the cursor on the image of a product.
Amazon is looking for all sorts of ways to reduce shipping times. The company is constantly expanding its warehouse network to make nightly deliveries and shipments on the day of order. Last year, Amazon announced that it plans to deliver small purchases using unmanned aerial vehicles.
Unfortunately, Amazon does not indicate how much time can be saved using the new type of delivery. A spokesman for the company declined to give any comments on this topic.
Amazon patent is not surprising. Today, many technology companies are trying to guess the desires of users. For example, Internet-connected refrigerators remind of the need to replenish food stocks, and smart TVs analyze the habits of viewers and independently record digital broadcast programs. The Google Now software, in turn, predicts what information the user might be interested in.
Forward shipping can be excellent for delivering books that have just been on sale, as well as goods that the buyer wants to have immediately or by a certain date. In addition, Amazon may offer the customer an additional or alternative product that is closest to the place of delivery.
In case of refusal to purchase a pre-shipped product, Amazon may sell it at a discount or offer it as a bonus or a gift for a regular customer, which will encourage repeat sales.
If you are interested to know what will happen to shopping malls in the Internet era, take a look here.
The article is based on materials .
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