Amazon launches Amazon Hub in Australia

Amazon is taking what it considers the next step in bringing its fulfillment and delivery network to Australia with the introduction of Amazon Hub – a new network of parcel pickup points.

The network from Amazon includes two new, innovative pickup point options – Locker and Counter – designed to give customers more flexibility and control over their deliveries, Amazon said.

Under the plan, Amazon Hub is available at more than a hundred Commonwealth Bank of Australia branches, Victorian Authorised Newsagents Association locations and Stockland Shopping Centres

Over time, the Amazon Hub network will expand to thousands of other locations through additional partnerships with retailers, convenience stores, and small businesses across Australia

“Since launching Amazon.com.au in 2017, we’ve committed to making e-commerce rooted in low prices, vast selection, and convenience a part of everyday life for Australian customers,” Patrick Supanc, worldwide director of Amazon Hub, in a statement.

“We’re excited to partner with large and small businesses in Australia to extend Amazon’s exceptional customer service and innovations in delivery by offering a quick and simple pickup experience.”

Delivery to an Amazon Hub location is available for the more than 125 million items sold on Amazon.com.au and works with Free Expedited Delivery and Standard Delivery. The service is available to all customers at no extra cost, the company said.

Originally launched in the U.S. in 2011, Locker is a self-service kiosk that gives customers the option to pick up their Amazon parcels from a location convenient to them.

Lockers are available in dozens of Commonwealth Bank of Australia branches, Victorian Authorised Newsagents Association (VANA) locations, and Stockland Shopping Centres, with nearly a hundred expected installations by year’s end.

Meanwhile, Counter is a pickup network staffed by store partners that enables collection of Amazon parcels. It goes live in more than a hundred VANA stores in Victoria, with hundreds more locations coming soon.

Originally launched earlier this year in Europe, Counter has been positively received by store partners, helping to drive strong customer engagement and additional foot traffic for the stores, Amazon said.

Amazon designed and built the technology for Amazon Hub from the ground-up, resulting in a “quick and simple pickup experience for customers,” the company explained.

For Locker hosts, installing a Locker inside or outside their store helps attract increased foot traffic to that location and surrounding area.

For Counter partners, the service turns a store of any size into a pickup location and the service’s intuitive, user-friendly design enables store staff to efficiently serve customers picking up parcels without disrupting their daily activities, Amazon said.