Amazon shutting down Prime Now rapid delivery platform

May 21 (UPI) -- Retail giant Amazon announced Friday that it's shutting down its standalone Prime Now grocery delivery platform and moving its customers over to the company's main app and website.

Customers have been able to use Prime Now for expedited delivery of groceries and other items. Amazon said the service, launched in 2014, will be retired worldwide by the end of the year.

"To make this experience even more seamless for customers, we are moving the experience from a separate Prime Now app onto the Amazon app and website so customers can shop all Amazon has to offer from one convenient location," Stephenie Landry, Amazon vice president of grocery, wrote in a blog post.

Landry said Amazon Fresh and Whole Food customers will also be able to use the service on Amazon's main site.

Customers in India, Japan and Singapore have already been moved off the Prime Now platform.

Prime Now was introduced as a way to deliver groceries to customers in a matter of hours, not days, and ultimately expanded to about 5,000 locations worldwide.

Amazon did not specify a reason as to why it's closing down the Prime Now platform.