WSJ fuels speculation over Amazon’s shipping plans
An article published by the Wall Street Journal last week has re-ignited the speculation that Amazon is looking to launch a delivery service that would compete directly with the big integrators.
The article, published in the Wall Street Journal on Friday (9 February), said that the service, dubbed “Shipping with Amazon” or SWA, would involve Amazon pickup packages from business and shipping them to consumers.
The article said that Amazon plans to roll out the delivery service in Los Angeles in the coming weeks with third-party merchants that sell goods via its website.
Amazon has, of course, been developing its own logistics capabilities for some time – but sources at the retail giant have indicated that the intention has been to complement, rather than compete with, the delivery companies. However, the reports now coming through the media suggest that this policy could be changing – they suggest that Amazon could be looking to deliver for a wide range of third-parties at prices that would compete with, or even undercut, UPS and FedEx.
