Amazon focus on essentials sows panic, confusion among merchants

A truck with the logo of Amazon Prime Delivery arrives at the Amazon logistics center in Lauwin-Planque, northern France. Amazon is struggling to cope as the Covid-19 pandemic escalates in the US, forcing factory shutdowns and snarling logistics nationwide. — Reuters

Amazon.com Inc’s delivery delays of non-essential goods will extend for at least another month for many customers in the US and Europe, stirring panic among online merchants who rely on the web retailer for business.

The lengthening delivery times come on top of confusion over how the company identifies essential products, a task that appears to be performed by algorithms with little human oversight. Online merchants became alarmed Sunday when they saw delivery dates pushed into late April, meaning many of them will lose more than a month of sales in the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.