Amazon Wants to Ship Your Package Before You Buy It - Digits - WSJ

Predictive shopaholics

"The technique could cut delivery time and discourage consumers from visiting physical stores. In the patent document, Amazon says delays between ordering and receiving purchases “may dissuade customers from buying items from online merchants.”

So Amazon says it may box and ship products it expects customers in a specific area will want – based on previous orders and other factors — but haven’t yet ordered. According to the patent, the packages could wait at the shippers’ hubs or on trucks until an order arrives."

Amazon Wants to Ship Your Package Before You Buy It - Digits - WSJ