Amazon Flex “will spark Uber-style revolution” in UK deliveries, says ParcelHero

The launch of Amazon Flex in Birmingham will “transform home deliveries” in the UK, according to ParcelHero. As Post&Parcel reported yesterday, Amazon started recruiting drivers for the “crowdsourced” App-driven delivery service in June – in preparation for a planned operational launch this month.

ParcelHero’s Head of Public Relations, David Jinks, commented: “By launching its new crowdsourced driver scheme in the UK Amazon steals a march on Uber, who have been slow to get their UberRUSH ‘Uber for things’ delivery service off the ground in the UK. Turning its local customers into delivery drivers means Amazon can give even more delivery choices to shoppers while slashing its own logistics overheads.”

Jinks added: “Last year our report, ‘Amazon’s Prime Ambition’ highlighted Amazon’s far-sighted plans for its beta ‘My Way’ App: which enabled everyday people to deliver items. It led to the successful roll-out of Amazon Flex in cities across the US. UK cities such as London and Birmingham are an ideal scale for Prime Now one hour deliveries, so the UK is a natural fit for the expansion of Flex.’

“Crowdsourcing and the so called gig economy are ideally suited to local deliveries and it’s a certainty Amazon won’t be the only big name to turn its own customers into delivery drivers.”