Amazon Escalates the Delivery Wars With New 1‑Hour Shipping

For the moments when same-day delivery just is not fast enough.

BY ALI DONALDSON, STAFF REPORTER @ALICDONALDSON

Illustration: Inc; Photo: Getty Images

Need it now? Same-day delivery just got even faster. Amazon introduced a new service that promises to get online orders from checkout to doorstep in as little as 60 minutes. 

The e-commerce giant is rolling out one-hour and three-hour delivery options in more than 2,000 cities across the country, including major markets, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., and midsize cities, such as Des Moines, Iowa and Boise, Idaho, with plans to cover even more parts of the country in the coming months. The rapid fulfillment service, which will be available seven days a week, will cover tens of thousands of products.

“Our customers are busier than ever and are looking for new ways to save time,” said Udit Madan, senior vice president of worldwide operations at Amazon, in a statement with the release. “We saw an opportunity to use our unique operational expertise and delivery network to help make customers’ lives a little easier while unlocking even more value for Prime members.”

Consumers will be able to use Amazon’s rapid delivery for products you could see people needing in a pinch. Think over-the-counter medications for a sick kid or toilet paper for when you inevitably run out while stuck at home. There’s even a case to be made for cleaning products and pantry staples when you’ve started cooking dinner and realize you’re missing a key ingredient. But Amazon has the impractical considerations covered too. Health, beauty, electronics, clothing, accessories, toys, and home and garden have all made the cut for one-hour delivery too. 

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More than a decade after Amazon launched its same-day delivery service, the competition to convenience consumers as much as humanly and operationally possible is fiercer than ever. Rather than the race to the bottom, it’s become the race to the door for retailers and logistics platforms.

Uber Eats rolled out a similar offering in 2024 that gives shoppers the option to get a new sweater, purse, or pair of sneakers in 20 minutes or less, like a pizza. Last year, Walmart said it had expanded its same-day delivery footprint enough to reach 93 percent of American households across 49 states with its fastest fulfillment reportedly clocking in at nine minutes. Earlier this month, Target announced it was investing in more same-day delivery and drive-up pickup options as part of its turnaround plan to win back shoppers.

For consumers that want to spring for Amazon’s overly expedited shipping, one-hour delivery will cost $19.99 or $9.99 for Prime members. For shoppers with a bit more patience, three-hour delivery is priced at $14.99 or $4.99 for Prime members.

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