Amazon launched Amazon Now, a 30-minute delivery option, rolling the service out to dozens of U.S. Cities on Tuesday. The offering lets customers order thousands of items, from fresh groceries and household essentials to electronics and alcohol where permitted, with eligible items flagged by a "30-Minute Delivery" banner in the Amazon app and on the website. Prime members pay a reduced per-order fee for Amazon Now while non-Prime customers pay a higher per-order fee; very small purchases also carry an extra small-order fee. Amazon said the service is live for millions now and expects to reach tens of millions more customers by the end of the year.

Amazon said Tuesday it has launched Amazon Now, a new 30-minute delivery option, and began rolling it out to dozens of U.S. Cities. The company framed the move as an expansion of its express logistics services, positioning the new option alongside its existing one-hour, three-hour and same-day delivery choices.

How Amazon Now works

The new option shows up in the Amazon app and on the website as a "30-Minute Delivery" banner on eligible items. Amazon said the service offers thousands of items across fast-moving categories, including dairy and eggs, fresh produce, bakery, health and personal care, baby and pet supplies, electronics, and alcohol where state and local rules allow. In most areas, Amazon said, the 30-minute option will be available 24 hours a day.

Amazon described Amazon Now as running on a network of smaller fulfillment locations placed closer to customers. The company said those locations reduce travel distances for delivery partners and speed fulfillment. Amazon positioned the 30-minute option as complementary to its one-hour and three-hour services; coverage also noted the company already offered one-hour and three-hour delivery across more than 90,000 products as of March, and that Amazon operates early sub-60-minute drone delivery pilots in select locations.

Udit Madan, Senior Vice President, Amazon Worldwide Operations, said, "Amazon Now is for when you need or want the convenience of getting your Amazon order delivered in 30 minutes or less." Amazon released rollout details in a company press release and provided product positioning and the fee structure in that announcement and accompanying statements from operations executives.

Pricing, cities and rollout

The company said Amazon Now is widely available at launch in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia and Seattle. Amazon added it's expanding the service to additional markets including Austin, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, Orlando, Oklahoma City and Phoenix.

Amazon characterized the rollout as already reaching "millions" of customers and said it expects to expand the service to tens of millions more by the end of the year.

Mastheads

Prime members pay a per-order delivery fee of $3.99 for Amazon Now. Non-Prime customers face a $13.99 fee per Amazon Now order.

Amazon also applies a small-order fee for purchases under $15; Prime members pay $1.99 for small orders, while non-Prime customers pay $3.99. The company emphasized the fee structure in its announcement and said the offering complements its existing faster-delivery options.

One technology outlet reported that Amazon piloted 30-minute deliveries in Seattle and Philadelphia in December. That account was reported by TechCrunch and appears to be single-sourced in the materials reviewed here.

Another finance piece in the reporting bundle cited a tangential metric, noting $64.2 billion in online store sales in Amazon's most recent quarter. That sales figure appeared only in a Yahoo Finance item in this set of coverage.

Amazon positioned Amazon Now against a field of ultra-fast competitors. Coverage noted rival services include meal-delivery and grocery platforms, plus big-box retailers that have rolled out express delivery and drone pilots. The company framed Amazon Now as part of a broader industry push toward ever-faster fulfillment, and as a way to bring more of Amazon's catalog into a near-instant delivery window.

The service flags eligible items so customers can see at a glance what qualifies for 30-minute delivery. Amazon said the catalog for the new option is made up of "thousands" of items across categories shoppers frequently buy for immediate needs. That scope is intended to cover everything from last-minute dinner ingredients to phone chargers and over-the-counter remedies.

Amazon described the use of smaller, closer fulfillment sites as a key operational change. The company said those locations shorten the distance delivery partners travel, which speeds delivery and reduces the time between order placement and doorstep arrival. Amazon also stressed that Amazon Now complements rather than replaces its longer but still-fast options, offering customers a choice of speed and price.

At launch Amazon Now is rolling out mostly in large metro areas and Sun Belt cities, though the company listed a diverse set of early markets. Amazon said most areas will have round-the-clock availability, indicating an ambition to make ultra-fast delivery a widely present option rather than a boutique perk.

The company released the details in a press release and in statements from operations executives. The rollout and fees will likely shape how quickly customers try the service, and whether it becomes a regular alternative to one-hour or same-day options for urgent needs.

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Amazon said it expects to reach tens of millions more customers by year-end.

This article was created with AI assistance.