The way customers shop is constantly evolving. The pandemic has transformed the “what, why, and how” of consumer preference. As people navigate new remote and flexible lives, fast and convenient delivery has become paramount. At the same time, we’re witnessing a shift to more sustainable lifestyles and modes of transportation.
Amazon Scout, our fully electric and autonomous delivery device, is helping us meet these new and rising standards, and has continued to make deliveries to our customers during the pandemic. I’m happy to share that Scout has been received with enthusiasm in the various communities in which it operates, including Snohomish County in Washington state; Irvine, California; Atlanta, Georgia; and Franklin, Tennessee. Its development is an ongoing collaboration with customers, who are helping us refine various aspects of the service.
Scout trick-or-treating in Franklin, Tennessee
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As the first home to Amazon, Washington state has led the charge in helping us test this new delivery device, including customers in Everett, the largest city in Snohomish County. “Everett residents are at the forefront of innovation by pioneering Scout,” Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said. “Their feedback on the service will help shape the future of low-emission deliveries in our community and others across the country.”
We have also had the opportunity to work with advocacy groups to make Scout more accessible. For instance, we partnered with the World Institute on Disability to test Scout’s interactions with people with disabilities. These engagements have contributed to our ongoing efforts toward improving Scout’s behavior when it encounters people with disabilities out in the world.
Rather than fundamentally changing the way we operate, Scout is designed to enhance the delivery experience for our customers. Customers order as they normally would on the Amazon app or on amazon.com and enjoy the same delivery options—including free Same-Day, One-Day, and Two-Day shipping for Prime members. Their Amazon packages are then delivered by one of our trusted partner carriers or by Scout.
Local businesses have also played an important role as we expand Scout’s presence in neighborhoods. We partner with businesses in all our field-testing locations by renting space for Scout Home Bases. These structures house Scout devices and act as our dispatch points for hyper-local deliveries. These partnerships allow us to get to know the communities in which we operate better, and they provide the opportunity for local businesses to access a new revenue stream.
As demand for home delivery continues to surge, our high-tech bijou robots are allowing Amazon to decrease the number of vehicles on neighborhood roads, thereby enhancing road safety. As a result, we’re reducing congestion, limiting wear-and-tear on local infrastructure, and closing in on our ambition for carbon-neutral delivery.
Now, we can’t wait to get rolling through more neighborhoods as we continue to learn how Scout can make a positive impact while helping Amazon keep customer deliveries fast, convenient, and fun.
