Brands are trying to get to your door in 15 minutes or less

The dream of instant commerce is getting closer to reality — not necessarily because technology is improving, one company says, but simply by being nearer to more people for faster delivery.Why it matters: We're used to instant gratification in our entertainment and human interaction — but still have to wait for our stuff, unless we're willing to deal with the burden of getting up off the couch and getting it ourselves. That's changing. Driving the news: Last month Disney took the wraps off a partnership with delivery service GoPuff, offering custom mini-stores tied to its properties.An on-screen QR code takes viewers to the storefront, letting them purchase select items within 30 seconds for delivery in as little as 15 minutes, depending on their location.Zoom out: 25 years ago, the dream of both TV and Internet commerce was one-click shopping — hit a button on a remote and automatically buy what you saw on screen for immediate delivery.There was even an industry shorthand for the technological and commercial goal: "Rachel's sweater," as in, being able to click and immediately buy the clothes Jennifer Aniston's character wore on the then-smash hit "Friends."Society hasn't quite achieved that dream, yet, but it's closer.What they're saying: "I can go from seeing an advertisement to having it in your hand in literally 15, 20 minutes," GoPuff co-CEO Yakir Gola tells Axios.The company's hundreds of "micro-fulfillment centers" cover most major U.S. cities.They're positioned as a source for "everyday essentials," Gola says; top products include eggs, water and paper towels.Yes, but: Brands are starting to drive demand, too, either in the form of the Disney deal, or in white-label arrangements where GoPuff handles back-end fulfillment. Starbucks has even piloted a program where baristas it trains make drinks inside GoPuff fulfillment centers for rapid delivery. The intrigue: A number of retailers are piloting programs with drones and delivery robots, aiming to get products faster from store to door.GoPuff's Gola says the company's gone a different route, with internal development of software and AI tools to optimize how deliveries are batched and dispatched. Others have the same idea. Walmart — the world's largest retailer — says it is also using AI plans to speed up delivery times, and plans to bring 3-hour delivery to 95% of U.S. households by the end of 2025.The bottom line: We're getting closer to an era where it's faster for people to bring things to you than for you to go get it yourself. Kelly Tyko contributed.

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