Amazon Tests 30-Minute Delivery - Ultra-Fast Shipping

Amazon has revealed plans to introduce a new delivery service offering completion of orders in 30 minutes or less to customers in Seattle and Philadelphia. This new, exceptionally quick delivery choice positions Amazon to more effectively rival companies such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Instacart.

A diverse selection of products will be available for order through this service, encompassing items like milk, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, toothpaste, beauty products, pet supplies, baby diapers, paper goods, electronics, seasonal merchandise, non-prescription medications, snacks, and dips, as stated by the company.

For customers with a Prime membership, this expedited delivery is accessible for a charge of $3.99 per order. Those without a Prime membership will be charged $13.99. A small handling fee of $1.99 will be applied to orders totaling less than $15.

Residents of Seattle and Philadelphia are now able to view the availability of the service in their specific locations by checking the Amazon application and website homepage for the “30-Minute Delivery” option within the navigation menu.

Once an order is submitted, customers can monitor the progress of their delivery and provide a gratuity to the delivery driver directly through the application.

“Amazon is employing dedicated, smaller fulfillment centers specifically engineered for streamlined order processing, strategically located near the communities where customers in Seattle and Philadelphia reside and work,” Amazon detailed in a recent blog publication. “This strategy emphasizes the well-being of personnel involved in order selection and packaging, minimizes travel distances for delivery partners, and facilitates quicker delivery speeds.”

This development builds upon Amazon’s earlier introduction of a 15-minute delivery service in the United Arab Emirates in October. The company reported at that time that certain customers received their purchases in as little as six minutes.

The introduction of this new service represents Amazon’s most recent initiative to participate in the rapid delivery sector within the United States. Previously, in 2014, the e-commerce leader launched a “Prime Now” service providing one-hour deliveries, which was later discontinued in 2021.

Amazon continues to broaden its delivery capabilities and announced in June its intention to invest over $4 billion to expand its delivery network threefold by the year 2026.