Online marketing has grown exponentially over the past few decades. Websites like eBay, Amazon, and Google create a simple interface in which consumers can browse and select products that pique their interest in an efficient and convenient manner.
The evolution of online marketing continues to move forward with big players such as Amazon and Google looking to increase the speed of shipping ordered products consumers to roughly an hour or two. In fact, both companies have made it possible in some cities for residents to take advantage of these features. Amazon Prime is now an app available for iPhone and Android users which allows shoppers to browse through thousands of items and buy them instantly with a few taps of their smartphone.
However, what’s different about this experience is that the options for delivery are not just next day shipping or two-day shipping—consumers are allowed to select One Hour Shipping for $7.99 in specific locations, and two hour shipping is free for Amazon Prime users. Google Shopping Express is also a similar shopping experience to Amazon Prime Now. It allows you to order food from local stores in areas the feature is available. However, it does not specifically allow you to choose when it will be delivered. Google Shopping Express simply ensures that your order will arrive at your doorstep before the end of the day.
While it is convenient that on the same day of ordering, products and meals can easily be delivered at our fingertips, with greater refinement of this service, consumers might eventually not be required to leave their houses. This convenience will allow people to place last minute orders, but may also cause people to become more lazy and reliant on technology.
This instantaneous availability, similar to every other technological advancement, has its pros and cons, however, developing a more instantaneous, user friendly system will help companies such as Amazon and Google succeed, and as other companies follow through with providing faster, more instant shipping rates, newer features will have to be developed. It will be interesting to witness the evolution of online marketing in the years to come.
