Amazon unveils new tracking, delivery and pickup options to keep the holiday season ‘spoiler-free’

The holidays are usually an overwhelming time as Americans shop for gifts, cook family meals, and prepare their homes for guests.

Since the coronavirus pandemic has prompted many families to stay home this year, it may be more difficult to keep special gifts for loved ones a secret. As a result, Amazon unveiled new ways to track, receive, and retrieve holiday orders to keep the season “spoiler-free.”

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Amazon customers can now easily track deliveries using Map Tracking through the retail giant’s app, which offers real-time updates on how many stops a driver has before the arrival of a delivery.

The company will also offer tracking sharing, which allows customers to send tracking information to friends and family so they know when to expect their freebies. After the package has been dispatched, Amazon customers can go to “ Your Orders ” on the Amazon app, select the purchased item, and press the “ Share Tracking ” feature on the tracking page.

Customers can send the link via SMS, email, or messaging apps such as WhatsApp. If the customer marks the item as a gift at checkout, once the “ Share Tracking ” is sent, the recipient can also virtually “ unwrap ” the item, send a thank you email, and more via the Amazon app.

Customers can now also use a photo-on-delivery feature to visually confirm that their package has been delivered and where it was placed by the driver. Amazon will also grant an estimated delivery window of two to four hours to allow customers to plan ahead to ensure they will be home to receive delivery.

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For customers concerned about protecting their packages from possible weather damage, Amazon is offering “garage key delivery”, which will now be extended to Prime members in more than 4,000 cities and towns across the United States. United.

“Garage Key Delivery” allows eligible Prime members with a myQ smart garage door opener to receive packages securely in their garage. the package is delivered, customers will receive a notification via the “Key by Amazon” app or the Amazon app.

Customers can also deliver gifts to another Amazon Hub location in over 900 cities and towns across the United States, which offer easy, convenient, and contactless package pickup options.

Amazon Hub is available for tens of millions of items sold on Amazon.com at no additional cost with the same fast shipping as door-to-door delivery, including Prime Free Same-Day, One-Day, and Two-Day Shipping. Non-Prime members can also get free shipping on orders over $ 25.

Beginning this holiday season, Amazon customers can also select an “Amazon 4 Star” or “Amazon Books” location for delivery. Prime members can also get free same day delivery with no minimum purchase amount required this year.

To deliver to a physical Amazon retail store or Amazon Hub location, customers find and select the location that is most convenient for them when asked to pay. Once their package is delivered, customers will receive an email notification with details on how and where to pick up. Customers then simply visit their selected Amazon Hub location to pick up their package.

Customers have three to 15 days to pick up their order based on the Amazon Hub or Amazon physical store.

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Additionally, Amazon Alexa will hide item names from loved ones to avoid spoiling any surprises, even if a customer asks “Where’s my stuff?” or check their delivery update notifications. Alexa will also avoid revealing the names of items marked as freebies during checkout.

Customers who want to be extra careful or worry about forgetting to mark an item as a gift when checking out can also change their settings for item names in the Alexa app to hide all titles.

Teleprinter	security	Latest	Change	% Change
AMZN	AMAZON.COM INC.	3098.39	-1.01	-0.03%

The National Retail Federation (NRF) projected on Monday that holiday sales will be “very robust” this season despite concerns about the pandemic.

Sales are expected to increase 3.6% to 5.2% from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, generating between $ 755.3 billion and $ 766.7 billion, said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the most large retail group in the country, during the company’s 2020 holiday sales. Forecast teleconference. Online and non-store sales alone are expected to rise 20% to 30%, to between $ 202.5 billion and $ 218.4 billion, from $ 168.7 billion last year.

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