Amazon is piloting a new rapid delivery concept at a shuttered retail site in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. The project, dubbed ‘ZST4,’ involves a store-like delivery hub staffed by Amazon employees to fulfill online orders, with Amazon Flex drivers delivering packages within the surrounding area. The operation, designed to resemble a convenience store, will utilize a continuous flow, with drivers scanning in, retrieving packaged orders, and departing within roughly two minutes. The 24-hour, seven-day-a-week facility will stock ‘essential items and local products that are in-demand and hyper-focused on the needs of local customers.’
The hub, previously operated as an Amazon Fresh Pickup location, will be staffed by four shifts of six to eight employees, aiming to dispatch approximately 240 vehicles over a 24-hour period. This pilot aims to test the profitability of rapid delivery models, addressing challenges faced by previous initiatives like ‘Amazon Today,’ which struggled with high per-delivery costs due to small order sizes. The project’s success could set a template for regulating ‘dark stores’ in urban areas.