Amazon launches Instant Pickup

What if you could place an order online and then pickup the items in as soon as two minutes from a nearby location? For some, this is already a reality. Amazon just announced the launch of Amazon Instant Pickup, which allows the pickup of “daily essential” items from select locations.

Instant Pickup will allow Prime and Prime Student members to order a variety of select goods like food, drinks, personal care items, and Amazon Echo products. The order will be ready in two minutes and will be in a locker that you can open with a code. Amazon will run locations at Los Angeles, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Berkeley, California; Columbus, Ohio; and College Park, Maryland with staff for assistance.

The service appears to target college students in the US. At present all of the locations are near or next to major college campuses. The items available will appeal to college students, who want something small and fast. With Instant Pickup, students can order the items, and pick it up on the way to class. Unconfirmed reports say that these items will be cheaper with Instant Pickup than normal Amazon orders.

The service will deal another blow to retail outlets like Best Buy and Staples. College students can just pick up these items from a nearby outlet, rather than going to these big-box retailers. The move by Amazon is another in a series of steps that is trying to get a larger foothold in the US retail market.