Amazon bolsters same-day delivery infrastructure in Massachusetts
Amazon Prime members in the Greater Boston area can now receive orders as fast as three to five hours from when they make their purchases.
Amazon is opening its first same-day fulfillment center in Massachusetts. The approximately 155,000-sq.-ft. fulfillment center located in Bridgewater delivered its first package in January 2022, and is expected to bring hundreds of part-time and full-time positions to the area.
Amazon’s sub same-day buildings serve as mini-fulfillment centers, optimized for delivering hundreds of thousands of items with same-day delivery speed. These buildings optimized for faster click-to-delivery speeds. Up to 3 million items across more than a dozen categories that are marked “Today by” and “Overnight by” can now be ordered for delivery in Greater Boston throughout the day. Customers can also choose a delivery window that’s convenient with their schedule. Click here for delivery windows.
Since the company launched same-day delivery in March 2020, Prime members in more than a dozen cities are able to order from a selection available of up to 3 million items across a dozen categories, including baby, beauty & health, kitchen & dining, electronics, and pet supplies.
In April 2019, Amazon said it would cut its standard Prime shipping time from two days to one day. In June 2019, the e-tailer made free one-day delivery available to Prime members with no minimum purchase amount on more than 10 million products, in more than 10,000 cities and towns across the continental U.S.
The faster delivery speeds enabled by these same-day fulfillment centers also help the e-tail giant lower carbon emissions in line with Amazon’s Climate Pledge to be net-zero carbon by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. These new facilities are located close to the cities they serve, which decreases the distance drivers have to travel to deliver packages to customers.
Chief Amazon rival Walmart, which offers a subscription program similar to Amazon Prime called Walmart+, is also in the process of expanding its infrastructure to support e-commerce delivery. The company is focusing on building fulfillment centers focused on storing millions of items that are picked, packed and shipped directly to customers, although currently Walmart only offers delivery as soon as the next day.
In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, Walmart U.S. e-commerce cited 70% growth during a two-year period. According to Walmart, six times the number of customers placed delivery orders in the fourth quarter of 2021 as did pre-pandemic.
“We have a great team here in Bridgewater and we are proud to have our employees making history with this first-of-its-kind facility in New England,” said facility site leader Andrew Schwarz. “We are creating hundreds of new jobs with great benefits and improving the experience for customers here in Massachusetts.”
“This is another way we are delivering for our Amazon customers in Massachusetts. We want you to be able to get what you want and need, when you want and need it. With our new fulfillment center in Bridgewater, you can click purchase and have your order land on your doorstep within hours,” said Caitlin McLaughlin, spokesperson for Amazon Operations in New England.