The e-commerce giant becomes a postal operator also in Italy. This means that it will be able to deliver packages instead of the usual couriers. But it's not said
It's official: Amazon is a full-fledged postal operator, so in addition to shipping packages from its mega logistics centers it will also be able to bring them all the way home. Also in Italy. The news comes from the inclusion of the two companies Amazon Italy Logistics and Amazon Italy Transport within the register of postal operators, updated on November 16, 2018 by the Ministry of Economic Development.
In this way Amazon "puts itself in order" after the fine of 300.000 euros inflicted by AGCOM, the Authority for Guarantees in Communications, which in August had decided to sanction the e-commerce giant for having set up "a unitary network to carry out the delivery service of products of third-party sellers and the management of delivery points (locker)".
Amazon's postman
Now the problem doesn't arise anymore: Amazon will be able to deliver all over the peninsula its parcels, with its own logo on the parcel, its own tracking system and its own employees (who, however, will now be hired with the contract of the postal sector). Until now, however, Amazon in Italy had delivered the goods through Poste Italiane - SDA that now risks losing an important customer. But that's not necessarily the case, because Amazon could also choose to continue to rely on Poste Italiane or other couriers, instead of making the deliveries themselves.
Posta Amazon, what happens now?
This is what has happened in the past, even in the United States where Amazon has strengthened its delivery service to pressure FedEx, the company through which it takes most of the parcels to their final destination, to increase the quality of service and to make up for the shortage of letter carriers and vehicles during critical periods like Christmas and Black Friday. Or Amazon could use the license only for certain types of deliveries, such as those in lockers (the so-called "lockers", the main cause of the fine taken in August). Finally, Amazon could personally deliver only to Amazon Prime customers who, by paying, require a more efficient, flexible and punctual service than a normal express courier can guarantee on average.
At the moment, the company has limited itself to confirming that the registration as a postal operator has been made to respond to AGCOM's findings: in a note Amazon writes that it has "complied with what Agcom ordered in its August resolution. We are always available to cooperate with the authorities in order to provide information about our activities". To date, finally, is still active on the site of Amazon the section "Become a courier for Amazon" through which virtually any shipping company can apply to become a local courier for the company of Jeff Bezoz.