Prime members pay $3.99 per order for the service, called Amazon Now, which is already live in Atlanta, Dallas–Fort Worth, Philadelphia, and Seattle
Amazon $AMZN said Tuesday that a new 30-minute delivery service will reach dozens of U.S. cities, marking the company's biggest push yet into the quick-commerce arena.
The service, called Amazon Now, is already available in Atlanta, Dallas–Fort Worth, Philadelphia, and Seattle, with expansion underway to cities including Austin, Houston, Minneapolis, Orlando, Phoenix, Denver, and Oklahoma City. Amazon said it plans to reach tens of millions of customers by the end of the year.
In most areas where it operates, the service runs at all hours and covers a broad range of products, from fresh produce and dairy to electronics and, where local laws allow, alcohol. Customers can access the service through a "30-Minute Delivery" option in the Amazon $AMZN app or on its homepage.
Prime members pay a $3.99 delivery fee per order, while customers without a Prime membership pay $13.99. Orders below $15 carry an additional fee of $1.99 for Prime members and $3.99 for non-members.
Behind the speed is a grid of compact warehouses tucked into neighborhoods rather than distant logistics corridors — spaces of roughly 5,000 to 10,000 square feet capable of holding thousands of products, according to CNBC. Drivers enrolled in the Amazon $AMZN Flex program handle last-mile trips in their personal vehicles.
"Amazon Now is for when you need or want the convenience of getting your Amazon order delivered in 30 minutes or less," Udit Madan, Amazon's SVP of worldwide operations, said in a statement. "You can get everything from groceries for dinner, to AirPods before a flight, to household essentials like laundry detergent or toothpaste delivered right to your door."
A global rollout preceded the U.S. expansion, with India serving as the program's first market last June, the AP reported; the service has since gone live in Brazil, Mexico, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.K. Each local hub carries roughly 3,500 items spanning everyday staples such as beer, diapers, pet food, meat, over-the-counter medicine, and phone charging accessories.
"We know that customers love speed and always have," Beryl Tomay, Amazon's head of transportation, told The Associated Press. "What we see customers doing, when we offer faster speeds, are they purchase more from Amazon."
The 30-minute tier sits atop a broader speed ladder that Amazon has been building out: the company also offers drone delivery at nine domestic locations, an hourly and three-hour option covering more than 90,000 products, and same-day service that now reaches over 10,000 U.S. cities and towns.
