Amazon Prime customers in Santa Rosa now get free one-day delivery

Amazon Prime customers who live in Santa Rosa can now have their packages delivered overnight for free, the company has announced.

The Seattle-based retailer said Santa Rosa has now joined some 3,500 cities and towns where residents can get free overnight service for more than 2 million products sold on its website that can be delivered within a 24-hour period - from pet care items to the latest tech gadgets.

The move shaves a day off its existing Prime service, which offered free delivery within two days on more than 50 million items.

Customers on the Amazon website or its app need to look for the “Prime Free One-day” logo on the item to determine whether they can get it delivered the next day.

The cutoff times for delivery vary by city, though local orders placed by the afternoon will be delivered the next day by 9 p.m., according to spokeswoman Ana Rigby.

Prime members can determine if they are eligible for the new one-day shipping service by entering their Zip Code at amazon.com/oneday.

Besides California, the free one-day delivery service is available in 13 other states, the company said.

The announcement comes as Amazon has moved to cut down on its delivery time, including offering same-day delivery. And in more than 30 major cities, Prime members can get two-hour deliveries on certain items on orders of $25 or more.

It also has started building its own delivery network, rather than relying exclusively on UPS and FedEx for speedy delivery. It has two large fulfillment centers in Tracy.

As more shoppers buy their products online, brick-and-mortar retailers are facing increased pressure, from large big-box stores such as Macy’s - which plans to close 100 stores over the next few years - to smaller chains. Steve Cuellar, an economics professor at Sonoma State University, said many of those failing stores have been struggling for years, with poor customer service a main factor.

“The consumption online is going to have retailers improve their customer service,” said Cuellar.

Locally, businesses that carve out a specialized niche with good customer service can survive in this environment, said Ben Stone, executive director of the Sonoma County Economic Development Board. He cited examples such as the Classic Duck in Montgomery Village as well as locally owned women’s clothing stores.

Stone said that the brick-and-mortar format is still viable, noting that even Amazon has bookstores, pop-up retail stores and a planned grocery store in Seattle.

You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 707-521-5223 or bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @BillSwindell.