Amazon recently introduced new 1-hour and 3-hour delivery options across the USA for tens of thousands of different products. The company made it easy for customers to browse the items eligible for these rapid deliveries, and Amazon is continuously innovating to provide faster deliveries to consumers.
Amazon Offering New 1-Hour and 3-Hour Delivery Options
Amazon announced the new 1-hour and 3-hour delivery options in a blog post. In the post, the company said that many customers across the country now have the ability to shop for over 90,000 products and have them delivered using these fast and reliable methods.
These products span a variety of categories, including pantry items, cleaning supplies, medications, health and beauty items, electronics, toys, clothing, and more. In addition to being able to access many more products within hours throughout the USA, the company is also planning to greatly expand same-day delivery for Amazon Pharmacy in 2026.
Amazon also makes it easy for customers to see the products eligible for this new and rapid shipping with new messaging next to product names, and it has also added search filters for “in 1 hour” and “in 3 hours”.
All shoppers can take advantage of these new shipping methods, but Prime members get a discounted delivery fee of $4.99 for 3-hour delivery and $9.99 for 1-hour delivery. Without Prime, customers pay $14.99 for 3-hour delivery and $19.99 for 1-hour delivery.
Where are These Delivery Options Available?
Amazon also went over which parts of the country these 1-hour and 3-hour deliveries are available in. According to the post, 1-hour deliveries are available to customers in hundreds of different cities across the USA.
Of course, this includes major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, Chicago, Nashville, and Houston, but also smaller communities like Boise, Des Moines, and American Fork. On the other hand, over 2,000 cities and towns have access to 3-hour delivery. This includes small, mid-size, and large cities, as well as many suburbs.
These new delivery options are available seven days a week, and the company is planning to bring them to new cities and towns in the coming months. The announcement post also includes a link to www.amazon.com/getitfast, where customers can visit to check whether these new options are offered in their area.
Delivering Faster With Continuous Innovation
Despite setting a new delivery speed record last year, the company isn’t taking its foot off the gas when it comes to delivering quickly. Amazon has said that by revamping the company’s standard same-day fulfillment process, it’s able to deliver a large selection of items at faster speeds through the existing operations network.
The company is leveraging its existing same-day delivery sites for these new delivery methods, which are highly-efficient hubs that allow the full lifecycle of an order to take place under one roof.
Over time, this integrated approach, paired with predictive AI inventory algorithms, has streamlined the process of picking, sorting, and fulfilling orders, which enables these faster delivery speeds.
These new delivery choices give customers the chance to get items faster than ever, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see it become quite popular. While it’s not cheap, unless you’re a Prime member, many customers are willing to pay for the convenience of nearly instant deliveries.
Also, I think this move serves as a wake-up call for ecommerce brands that still don’t offer quick delivery options. With how much Amazon and other leaders are pushing fast deliveries, along with rising customer expectations, online sellers need to realize that getting items into customers’ hands quickly is more like a requirement than a nice bonus.
