Amazon is testing ultra-fast delivery in parts of Seattle and Philadelphia capable of bringing thousands of household essentials and groceries to customers’ doorsteps in 30 minutes or less.
Called Amazon Now, the offering is a direct challenge to delivery apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub, whose core proposition is local food and essentials delivered fast. While most of these apps started out with restaurant delivery, they all have been rapidly expanding into other retail categories such as beauty, pharmacy and grocery. DoorDash in particular has been building up its infrastructure to enable the speedy delivery of everything from medicine from CVS to balloons from Party City.
Amazon’s move into ultra-fast delivery builds on the ecommerce giant’s ongoing efforts to grow its share of household essentials purchases and leverages the company’s yearslong regionalization effort in its fulfillment network. To enable the faster service, Amazon is relying on specialized smaller facilities designed for efficient order fulfillment and strategically placed close to where its Seattle- and Philadelphia-area customers live and work.
Prime Members Get Discount on Amazon Now Delivery Fees
Amazon already offers restaurant delivery through a Grubhub integration, first introduced in 2024, that is now a standing feature of the Amazon Prime membership. The new Amazon Now offering focuses on items like milk, eggs, fresh produce, toothpaste, cosmetics, pet treats, diapers, paper products, electronics, seasonal items, over-the-counter medicines and chips and dips.
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Amazon Now is now available as a delivery option on the Amazon app and website for customers in eligible areas. Prime members will have discounted fees on Amazon Now orders starting at $3.99 per order compared $13.99 for non-Prime customers. A “small basket” fee of $1.99 also will apply to orders below $15. Customers will be able to track their orders throughout and have the option to tip their drivers.
