Amazon’s Latest Delivery Ploy: Same-Day “Treasure”

The eCommerce retailer is stepping, or rather driving, in a new direction with the launch of its Treasure Truck service, which will bring customers a unique and mobile way to shop from Amazon.com.

Amazon announced yesterday (June 25) that the Treasure Truck is now cruising through Seattle neighborhoods, each day offering “highly desirable, limited-quantity products, food, and more” that customers can schedule to pick up directly from the truck.

By downloading the Amazon Mobile Shopping app, customers can check out which item is available for purchase that day and order by tapping the “Buy Now” button. The customer then selects a convenient location and time to meet the Treasure Truck to pick up their product that same day. For now, Seattle area customers are the only ones able to see the Treasure Truck service in the main menu of the Amazon Mobile Shopping app.

The deals will include a wide range of products, including hard-to-find and exclusive gourmet foods, items from local producers, new electronics and other items, which Amazon said are hand-selected to be included in the service. Customer can make sure they are the first to know which product is being offered each day by signing up for push notifications and following the Treasure Truck on social media.

While the new service is very different from anything it’s tried in the past, the company told TechCrunch the Treasure Truck fits into its broader eCommerce strategy by offering customers yet another way to shop.

“It’s a fun, interactive experience that provides access to highly desirable products, many of which they can’t find anywhere else or are only available in the limited quantity that the truck holds,” an Amazon representative told TechCrunch. “Selection is very important to customers and this is another way to offer them unique selection.”

From Amazon Fresh to seemingly never-ending talks of delivery drones, Amazon is no stranger to experimentation. But the Treasure Truck may provide the company with some new perspective when it comes to pinning down success in local pickups.

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