Residents in the U.K. will now be able to have their groceries delivered right at their doorstep with the launch of Amazon Pantry.
The new delivery service, which launched in the U.S. around 18 months ago, will be available all over the U.K. Over 4,000 everyday items are offered, including food and drink, baby and child care, household items, pet care and health and beauty selections.
The service is exclusively available to Prime members. By simply visiting amazon.co.uk/pantry, customers can start getting access to "low-price, everyday essentials in everyday sizes" delivered to their door.
"Adding your first Amazon Pantry item to your basket starts an Amazon Pantry box, and as you shop, you can see what percentage of a box each Pantry item fills," said Amazon on its official site. "Pantry boxes are large and can hold up to 20 kilograms of products, and as you check items off your list, we will continuously track and show you how full your box is."
Amazon said that the customer's first Amazon Pantry box will have a delivery fee of £2.99 ($4.55). Additonal boxes will cause 99 pence ($1.50) each.
The best thing about the system is that Amazon can track how much space is left in the customer's Pantry box before he goes to the check out page. This means that customers can have full control on how much they are willing to spend on their groceries and the accompanying delivery cost.
"Keep adding products to your Amazon Pantry box until its full," said Amazon. "As you shop, we will continuously show you how much space you have left. Fill as much as your first Amazon Pantry box as you like up to 100 percent, then either start a second box, or proceed to checkout."
While it is true that Amazon has been delivering some grocery items through Amazon Prime Now, the new Amazon Pantry delivery service offers a far wider selection of household necessities and food items. Unlike Amazon Prime Now which was only offered in a select number of locations, the new service is available nationwide.
Amazon promises that a customer's Amazon Pantry box shall be delivered as soon as the next day.
Mintel, a London-based market research company, forecasts that online grocery sales in the U.K. will increase by 15 percent to £8.6 billion ($13.1 billion) in 2015.
"Amazon Pantry has been designed to take the heavy lifting out of replenishing the often bulky basics and store cupboard essentials that people need every day," said Helene Parthenay, Amazon UK's Pantry manager, in a statement.
