Amazon is stepping up its battle in the ultra-fast delivery space by rolling out new 1-hour and 3-hour shipping options across multiple cities in the United States, a move clearly aimed at strengthening its position against rival Walmart. The company’s latest expansion reflects a growing trend in e-commerce where speed is becoming just as important as price and product variety, especially as consumers increasingly expect near-instant gratification when shopping online.
The new delivery options are already being introduced in major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles and Chicago, along with smaller markets like Boise. With this rollout, Amazon is leveraging its extensive same-day delivery network to bring faster fulfillment to a wider audience. The company confirmed that the 1-hour delivery service now covers more than 90,000 products, ranging from everyday essentials and household goods to toys and personal care items. Meanwhile, the 3-hour delivery option has scaled even further, reaching over 2,000 cities and towns, making it one of the most widely accessible ultra-fast delivery services in the country.
This move builds on Amazon’s broader push into rapid delivery solutions. Back in December, the company introduced “Amazon Now,” a service focused on delivering groceries and daily essentials in 30 minutes or less in select locations, including Seattle and Philadelphia. By combining these services, Amazon is effectively creating a tiered delivery ecosystem that caters to different urgency levels, from half-hour grocery drops to one-hour essentials and three-hour broader product deliveries.
To make this system work efficiently, Amazon has made significant operational adjustments within its fulfillment infrastructure. The company has introduced dedicated workstations inside its existing same-day delivery centers specifically designed to handle ultra-fast orders. Packages meant for 1-hour and 3-hour delivery are marked with new yellow labels, allowing for quicker identification and prioritization. Additionally, updated signage within facilities helps streamline the workflow for delivery partners, ensuring that time-sensitive orders are processed without delays.
On the customer side, Amazon has enhanced the shopping experience to make these options more visible and accessible. A dedicated storefront page highlights products eligible for rapid delivery, and users can filter search results to quickly find items that can arrive within one or three hours. There is also a “get it fast” section on the platform, allowing shoppers to easily explore ultra-fast delivery options without having to manually search through standard listings.
Pricing for these services reflects their premium nature. Prime members are charged $9.99 for one-hour delivery and $4.99 for three-hour delivery, while non-Prime customers pay $19.99 and $14.99 respectively. While these fees may seem high compared to standard shipping, they are designed for moments when speed is critical, such as last-minute needs or urgent household purchases.
Amazon’s aggressive expansion into ultra-fast delivery underscores how central logistics innovation has become to staying competitive in e-commerce. As Walmart continues to invest heavily in its own delivery network and in-store fulfillment capabilities, the competition between the two retail giants is increasingly centered on who can get products to customers the fastest. With this latest move, Amazon is signaling that it intends not just to keep up, but to lead in the race for speed, convenience, and customer satisfaction.
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