No drone deliveries for Amazon customers in South Africa
Amazon has launched its Prime service in South Africa, but don’t expect its drone delivery options to be available to local shoppers.
Amazon launched its Prime service to South African consumers, starting at R59 per month, which offers a host of benefits for members.
The new service offers same-day deliveries, access to Amazon’s Luna gaming service, and includes Amazon Prime Video.
Prime members will also be able to access exclusive discounts not available to other consumers in the country via the Amazon marketplace.
Internationally, Amazon has been offering drone deliveries via Amazon Prime Air. The company’s MK30 delivery drones currently fly autonomously to individuals in about five US states.
However, speaking with BusinessTech, Amazon’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Robert Koen, said that drone delivery is not available in South Africa, and had nothing to say on the matter.
Instead, Koen said the company has been pleased with its relationship with The Courier Guy, which handles the last-mile logistics for the marketplace and uses Amazon’s systems.
Koen said that the company’s confidence in Courier Guy has enabled it to offer same-day delivery to customers in Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.
While the company will continue to monitor feedback on expanding same-day delivery to other South African cities, it will remain in Gauteng and the Western Cape for the time being.
Koen noted that a major advantage for Prime members is that they can shop without a minimum amount needed to qualify for free delivery.
This will be a huge benefit for customers when it comes to convenience items, marking a shift away from big-ticket purchases.
Amazon’s big plans for South Africa
Koen said that Amazon is incredibly bullish about its prospects in South Africa, with a history in the country dating back two decades.
While many South Africans may only be aware of Amazon’s online marketplace, the company has offered Amazon Web Services for some time, which is integrated into several local companies.
In fact, the history of AWS traces back to South Africa, where South African Chris Pinkham left Seattle to start working on the business’s cloud unit.
Koen said that Amazon has a strong history in South Africa, and its local operations are led by a local team. The ultimate goal is to be the “Most Loved” store in South Africa.
For retail customers, he said Prime members will benefit from year-long exclusive discounts. South Africans will also be able to participate in the first local Prime Day in the final week of June.
He added that the business will continue to offer a wide selection of goods to South Africans, with customers benefiting from scheduled deliveries and nationwide pickup points.
On the tech side, the launch of Prime also marks the start of Amazon Luna, the company’s video game streaming service, which will allow South Africans to play Fortnite, Hogwarts Legacy and other games.
On the technology side, the MD said the company is currently migrating its Amazon Prime Video customers to Amazon Prime.
With Amazon Prime Video costing R79 per month, Koen said that the company’s on-demand streaming customers will now benefit from increased savings on retail goods.
He added that South Africans can also use Amazon Lens, which lets consumers search for similar items in the Amazon store using a photo or barcode.
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