An Uber for deliveries: Amazon reportedly preparing to bypass courier services with new app

Amazon Inc is developing a mobile application that would pay ordinary people, rather than courier companies, to deliver packages en route to other destinations, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

Amazon would enlist brick-and-mortar retailers in urban areas to store the packages, likely renting space from them or paying a per-package fee, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The company's timing for the service, known internally as "On My Way", could not be learned, the Journal reported.

The service could give Amazon more control over the shopping experience and help limit shipping costs, the report added.

Shipping costs at the Seattle-based e-commerce giant rose 31 percent in 2014, outpacing sales growth of 19.5 percent.

Amazon could not immediately be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Sai Sachin R in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)