Amazon Rolls Out 30-Minute Delivery as Retail Speed Race Intensifies

Amazon is rolling out its 30-minute delivery option in dozens of U.S. cities.

This ultra-fast delivery option, dubbed “Amazon Now,” will apply to groceries, household essentials, small electronics, and many other frequently purchased items, Amazon said on May 12. The eligible items will be flagged with “30-minute delivery” banners on the platform.

The service is now widely available in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, and Seattle. Amazon is also expanding access in Austin, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, Orlando, Oklahoma City, and Phoenix, with plans to reach tens of millions of customers in these cities and others by the end of the year.

The service is not free. Those with an Amazon Prime subscription still have to pay a $3.99 per-order fee, compared with $13.99 for non-subscribers. There are also extra fees for orders under $15.

Amazon began testing 30-minute delivery in Seattle and Philadelphia in December 2025. The broader rollout comes as retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target continue the race to shorten delivery windows as shoppers grow more accustomed to on-demand convenience.

Walmart, which benefits from its vast network of stores, warehouses, and distribution centers, said in 2023 that same-day delivery was available to more than 80 percent of the U.S. population. Last August, Walmart CEO John Furner said that about one-third of the company’s ship-from-store orders were fulfilled in three hours or less, and about one-fifth of those reached customers in 30 minutes or less.

In April, Walmart-owned Sam’s Club launched a new service offering delivery in as little as one hour for a $22 fee for regular Club members.

Target has also moved to speed up online delivery. The retailer announced in September last year that it was expanding next-day delivery to 35 metro areas. In April, Target said it would expand the service so customers in more than 50 major U.S. metro areas could receive online orders the next day, promising no extra fees in “many cases.”

The push reflects a bet that more Americans are willing to pay a higher premium for convenience. A 2025 survey by UPS Capital on 500 online vendors and 1,000 U.S. consumers found that nearly 31 percent of consumers rank fast delivery as their top priority, ahead of price and product selection.

The survey also found that 98 percent of merchants believe delivery affects brand reputation, while more than half view it as one of the most critical parts of the customer experience.

But that demand for speed seems to have its limits. A 2025 survey by McKinsey & Company, for example, found that shoppers still place great importance on cost and reliability.

In that survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers, nearly 90 percent said they were willing to wait up to three days for delivery, while more than 95 percent preferred free standard shipping over paid expedited shipping. Less than 5 percent said they prioritize the fastest delivery option regardless of price.