We tried out the Amazon Prime Now service and here’s what you need to know
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have heard that Amazon has arrived in Singapore, kicking off with its new service Prime Now, which offers a range of groceries, fresh produce and meats, baby essentials, toys, electricals, and (almost) everything you could possibly need. Prime Now is usually only available to Amazone Prime members, but the service is free for a limited time, so get on it NOW. Here’s what else you need to know…
1. Stop looking for an Amazon Singapore website
What you want is the Prime Now app. Head here to download Prime Now for delivery to Singapore.
2. You might not be able to book a delivery, but keep trying!
So Singapore got a little enthusiasitic about Prime Now – almost immediately after its launch, a notice popped up on the app with a ‘Singapore Loves Prime Now’ message, stating that delivery was limited. We couldn’t get a booking for three days, with persistent checking. (We take our shopping seriously here.) If you found it impossible to get a booking, keep at it as you’ll eventually get lucky.
3. The introductory discount codes are no longer available
Sorry guys. Prime Now kicked off with some pretty sweet deals including a $20 discount for Visa payments and $10 off for everything else, but the promotional offer has now been fully redeemed. If you snapped up one of these discounts, pat on the back for being the early bird.
4. The grocery selection is still a little limited
We’ve had a look around and Prime Now is offering fresh meats, dairy, groceries, frozen goods (and beer and wine to keep us parents sane). But it’s still a limited selection, and we couldn’t do our normal grocery shop via Prime Now… yet. Not much in the way of organic groceries either, if that’s your thing. But we’re sure the variety will explode in due course. We predict that we’ll still be hitting HonestBee, Redmart and the actual supermarket to get everything we like. When it comes to supermarket shopping in Singapore, the struggle is real.
5. But the toys selection is pretty darn good
Perhaps we spent a bit too much time browsing every single department. Our favourite was the Educational Toys section, which has fantastic and affordable picks from Learning Resources, Melissa & Doug and more. Fantastic for when you need to get a present for a kid, stat, and don’t have time to head to your favourite toy store.
6. The service is spot on
Prime Now promises a two-hour delivery window and when we eventually got a booking, our goodies arrived right on time. Your stash comes sensibly packed in a brown paper bag – high five for the plastic-free move!
7. You’ll go down a rabbit hole, ordering things you never knew you needed
I blame the Amazon Basics range for some pretty random purchases. Why yes I DO need a therapeutic massage roller and set of travel pouches! This is next-level Daiso, people. But with delivery!
What’s really missing from the Prime Now offering? Books! This is why we fell in love with Amazon in the first place. Hurry up and bring on the whole shebang in Singapore, Amazon. (Word on the street is that it could happen any minute now…)
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