Wedoany.com Report-Dec.2, Amazon.com announced on Monday the launch of a pilot ultra-fast delivery service named Amazon Now, offering household essentials and fresh groceries in 30 minutes or less in selected areas of Seattle and Philadelphia.

Amazon logo outside an Amazon warehouse in Manchester, Britain, October 28, 2025.

The new service covers items such as milk, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as small electronics and daily necessities. Amazon stated in an official blog post that it is "utilizing specialized smaller facilities designed for efficient order fulfillment, strategically placed close to where Seattle- and Philadelphia-area customers live and work."

Prime members will pay a reduced delivery fee starting at $3.99 per order, while non-Prime customers will be charged $13.99. An additional $1.99 basket fee applies to orders under $15.

The ultra-fast model focuses on convenience and impulse purchases rather than large weekly grocery shops, enabling customers to receive single or small-quantity items almost immediately after ordering.

Amazon Now represents the latest expansion of the company's same-day and rapid-delivery offerings in the United States. In August 2025, Amazon introduced same-day delivery of perishable groceries to Prime members in more than 1,000 cities, with coverage scheduled to reach 2,300 cities by the end of the year.

The pilot places Amazon in direct competition with existing quick-commerce services operated by Walmart+ and Instacart, as well as other regional providers specialising in 15- to 30-minute grocery fulfilment.

By establishing a network of compact urban fulfilment centres, Amazon aims to shorten the distance between inventory and customers, thereby reducing delivery times while maintaining product freshness for perishable goods.

Initial operations are limited to specific neighbourhoods in Seattle and Philadelphia, allowing the company to gather performance data and customer feedback before potential wider rollout. The facilities are optimised for high-throughput picking and packing of small orders, supported by Amazon’s existing logistics infrastructure.

Early reports of the ultra-fast initiative had appeared earlier on Monday, ahead of the official announcement. The service underscores continued investment in speed and convenience as key differentiators in the competitive U.S. online grocery and essentials market.

Further details on performance metrics, customer adoption rates, and possible expansion to additional cities are expected to be shared as the pilot progresses through its initial phase.