If you need emergency deliveries of a variety of products – from over the counter medication to electronics, clothing and gifts – in just one hour, you can now get it from Amazon in select areas for a $19.99 fee.
That’s the price for regular customers. Amazon Prime members can take advantage of the new service for $9.99. There’s also a new three-hour delivery option available at $14.99 or $4.99 for Prime members, Amazon said in a Tuesday news release.
According to the online retail giant, more than 90,000 products are available for one and three hour delivery. Messaging next to product names should alert shoppers that they can request the expedited delivery times. Customers can also find the products through search filters for both delivery times and the storefront page for fast delivery.
“The convenience of one-hour delivery is currently available to customers in hundreds of cities and towns across the U.S., including parts of major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., and smaller cities such as Des Moines, Iowa; Boise, Idaho; and American Fork, Utah,” said Amazon. Additionally, three-hour delivery is offered in over 2,000 cities and towns, including small cities.
Amazon plans to offer the speedy delivery times in even more areas over the coming months. They are already offered seven days a week.
“From everyday essentials like pantry items, cleaning supplies, health and beauty items, and over-the-counter medications, to other popular categories like electronics, toys, clothing and accessories, and home and garden, we’re creating more opportunities for customers to shop Amazon when and how they want,” the company said.
Amazon also explained that it has already delivered to customers at “record-breaking speeds” in recent years and that this new offering is the “next phase of innovation.” To provide the one-hour delivery speed, Amazon is leveraging a program in place for the Same-Day Delivery option it already offered in 9,000 cities, free for Prime members.
“By revamping our standard Same-Day fulfillment process, we’re able to deliver a broad selection at faster speeds through our existing operations network,” the company explained. “We’re making one-hour and three-hour deliveries possible by leveraging our existing Same-Day Delivery sites, which means customers can easily restock their frequently purchased household goods while shopping for unique items like a children’s car seat for a surprise baby shower, a humidifier during the peak of cold and flu season, and an air mattress for visiting house guests, with delivery in as fast as an hour.”
Udit Madan, senior vice president of Worldwide Operations at Amazon, said the company saw an opportunity to “use our unique operational expertise and delivery network,” to offer even faster delivery times. Per the company, it has also used predictive artificial intelligence to develop its delivery process.
