Online shopping with Amazon: Pantry or Prime Now?
Building on its dominant position in e-commerce, Amazon is also aiming to establish itself in home grocery delivery with its Pantry and Prime Now services. Let's explore their main differences, how they work, and which one is best for you!
Amazon Prime Now
Does receiving your Amazon purchases within an hour of ordering sound like a dream? With the new service developed by the online retail giant, online shopping for fresh and processed products—7 days a week, from 8 a.m. to midnight—is now a reality: Amazon Italy has just launched the Prime Now service.
What does Prime Now offer?
Amazon Prime Now is a service dedicated to Prime members , who will receive their purchases in two possible options:
- within 1 hour of ordering (at a cost of €6.99)
- by choosing a two-hour time slot on the same day from 8am to 12am (free).
Prime Now offers both the option of a complete grocery shopping experience, similar to that of your local supermarket , and the guaranteed delivery of many other products sold and shipped by Amazon. The service is particularly convenient for those unable to visit the supermarket in person due to lack of time or other reasons. This new way of shopping could soon become the norm, with a whole host of services offering the option of having food delivered to your home. To provide this service, Amazon has partnered with popular supermarket chains with widespread presence throughout Italy: Panorama, Unes, and NaturaSì .
Prime Now Promotions
For those already familiar with the world of Amazon, you won't be disappointed. There are always promotions and discounts, making your shopping truly affordable. Let's look at a couple of examples, currently recommended by Prime Now for our area:
- PAMDIECI80
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Make your purchase for a minimum value of €80
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Use the code PAMDIECI80 on the order confirmation page
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Get 10% off instantly
- NEWPAM10
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Make your purchase of at least €50
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Use the code NEWPAM10 on the order confirmation page
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Get an instant €10 discount
Important notes
- At the time of writing, the service is available for the cities of Milan and Rome , but Amazon is expanding its coverage to other cities in Italy ( Turin , for example, joined in September 2019). By entering your postcode on the website or app, you can find out the service coverage in your area.
- Amazon Prime is free for the first month. After that, the service costs €4.99 per month or a subscription fee of €36 per year.
- Usable via dedicated App (Android and iOS), or directly on the website primenow.amazon.it .
- The order quantity limits are quite high; it's unlikely you'll be unable to complete your online shopping.
Given the great interest Amazon has generated, we expect the service to spread increasingly rapidly to other cities.
Amazon Pantry
Pantry is Amazon's first online grocery shopping service. Exclusive to Prime members (see costs above), Amazon Pantry offers thousands of non-perishable essentials , including beverages and groceries, personal care products, household items, and pet supplies.
How does Pantry work?
Prime members can add any product marked with the “Amazon Pantry” label to their cart, meeting these 2 basic conditions:
- total order of at least €15
- fixed shipping cost of €4.99
Pantry Promotions
- Buy 5 items included in the offer and you won't pay shipping costs!
- Save on Pantry shipping (a value of €4.99) when you purchase 5 of the items listed. Offer limited to one per customer and account.
- You can proceed with the purchase with a minimum spend of €15 on Amazon Pantry items.
- €5 off your purchase of €90 selected items
Important notes
- The flat shipping cost of €4.99 is applied to every Amazon Pantry order, even for Prime subscribers.
- By purchasing at least 5 products in the promotional selection, you can receive free shipping.
- Amazon Pantry delivers throughout Italy
- Amazon.it products are delivered separately from Amazon Pantry products.
- Since purchased products are delivered within 2-3 working days (and in some cases even after 5 days), Pantry is not a suitable service for products that are needed immediately .
Differences between Amazon Pantry and Prime Now
We've gotten to know both Amazon stores well enough to understand one key thing: the giant's two grocery shopping services complement each other. Prime Now promises to fill Pantry's biggest gap : the need for perishable foods, and quickly. Pantry is primarily designed for recurring purchases. It consistently offers products at affordable prices, but it's more—as the name suggests— a virtual pantry from which you can buy regularly.
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