Amazon Heats Up The Race For Instant Delivery Services

Amazon seems to be in a battle with Target, Walmart, and delivery apps. The concept is what's being called “instant retail”, and Amazon wants to dominate in that category. 

To that end, Amazon is expanding what they're calling “Amazon Now.” 

According to axios.com,
‘Retailers once competed to deliver in days, then hours. Now the race is to fulfill last-minute orders almost instantly — reshaping how consumers shop for everyday items. 
The push reflects a broader shift toward "instant commerce," where retailers and delivery platforms increasingly aim to get an item to shoppers faster than they could go get it themselves.’ 

Last week, (5/12/26) Amazon made the announcement that “Amazon Now” would be expanding. Right now, the service is only available in some select cities and basically guarantees a 30-minute delivery time from when you place your order. Right now, active cities are Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Seattle. The new service is now expanding into multiple cities, including Houston, Austin, Minneapolis, Denver, Orlando, Oklahoma City, and Phoenix. 

Back in March, Amazon announced expansion of two other high-speed deliveries. A one-hour delivery service and a three-hour delivery service.  

It's shaping up to be a gigantic arms race to see who can get it to you faster. 

So, does it cost more? 

Expedited delivery will always cost you more. If you're an Amazon Prime member, the rapid delivery option will cost you $3.99 per “Amazon Now” order. If you're not a prime member, the price goes up to $13.99. If it's a smaller order, it might actually cost you more. 

I don't know about you, but at that price I think I can wait for 24 hours to receive the latest widget available.  

Here's a thought, are we becoming conditioned to the idea of instant fulfillment? Companies like Uber eats, Instacart and DoorDash have worked very hard to give us the idea that we deserve instant fulfillment, for a price.  

Do we really need this? 

Studies show that 95% of the people that use services like Amazon do not require same day service. Most users are content with standard shipping and would rather not pay that extra price. 

What retailers seem to want is a future where you place your order. Then, rather than leave home to pick up your order, it's delivered to you. 

Rather than a store where you walk in, do your shopping, make your purchase, and leave.