Last updated on September 5th, 2012 at 02:57 pm
Amazon.com Inc. may be planning to expand a free home-delivery program, a move that analysts say could encourage consumers to do more of their shopping for groceries and other goods with the online retailer rather than local stores, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The service, AmazonTote, is currently available only around Seattle, where the company is based. The program offers customers a free weekly delivery on a specified day and doesn’t require a minimum-order size.
The AmazonTote website said the program “will be expanding soon.” However, that notice was removed later Monday. An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment.
AmazonTote could also benefit the company because it uses it own trucks, rather than a shipper such as UPS or FedEx, to deliver goods, according to the Journal.
Amazon has used its own truck fleet for AmazonFresh, another pilot project that delivers groceries in Seattle.
AmazonTote’s potential expansion was reported earlier by the Financial Times.
