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We tested Amazon's speedy delivery live on the podcast: Here's what it says about the future of retail

GeekWire

GeekWire

Tech News, News, Technology

4.8 • 127 Ratings

🗓️ 21 February 2026

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Amazon promises 30-minute delivery with its new Amazon Now service. We put it to the test — live on the show — with help from Michael Levin and Josh Lowitz, co-founders of Consumer Intelligence Research Partners and two of the sharpest Amazon watchers we know.

While we wait for our order of yogurt, blueberries, and flossers (long story), Mike and Josh break down why Amazon closed its grocery stores, what its massive future 225,000-square-foot superstore in suburban Chicago could mean, and why Amazon's real play is becoming the ultimate convenience store.

Plus: Test your knowledge of Amazon with our weekly trivia question. Will Josh and Mike get it right?

Related stories and links: 

With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop, edited by Curt Milton.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Mike Levin and Josh Lowitz are co-founders of consumer intelligence research partners.

0:04.9

I always love talking to you too.

0:06.6

I will tell you around the office, and this is a compliment.

0:08.8

We refer to you as the click and clack of Amazon.

0:11.1

Oh, that's a huge compliment.

0:14.1

That's great.

0:14.9

I'm flattered.

0:15.7

I'm honored.

0:18.5

Hi, everybody, and welcome to Geekwire. I'm Geekwire co-founder Todd Bishop. We are coming to you from Seattle, where we get to report each day on what's happening around us in business, technology, and innovation. What happens here matters everywhere and every week on this show. We talk about some of the most interesting and

0:37.5

important stories and trends in the news. My colleague John Cook is off at a beach somewhere. It's

0:44.0

midwinter break for the kids here in Seattle. And so he's not available to talk to me. And I have to

0:48.9

tell you, when I got to thinking about who I would want to talk with most on this week's show, our guests

0:55.8

this week came to mind. They were top of my list. And fortunately, they said yes. Michael Levin and

1:00.5

Josh Lowitz are the co-founders of Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. Mike and Josh, it's

1:05.5

great to have you both here. Great to be here. Thanks for having you. Likewise, I am elated that

1:10.5

you have those kind words for us.

1:13.0

So you both, as folks who follow the Geekwire podcast may know, because this is your third

1:16.9

appearance on the show. Is it that many? Oh, wow. Yes, it is. After five, do we get the silk

1:21.3

jackets? Exactly. Tom, Hank's shows up at your door. But Josh and Mike study consumer behavior through actual honest to goodness surveys. And they research and they develop insights for investors and industry leaders that way. They publish a great substack newsletter on Amazon that I'm a paid subscriber to. and I highly recommend. They also have an Apple newsletter

1:45.8

as well that they put out, which is also excellent. Okay, one of the things that you recently

1:51.2

wrote about in your Amazon newsletter was the speed of Amazon delivery and the way that that's

1:59.4

impacting how Amazon thinks about things like grocery stores, physical grocery

...

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