Amazon has positioned itself as America’s most prominent shopping retailer, and a large part of that dominance is the two-day shipping offered for most items on the site. Customers with Amazon Prime are able to have items to their door within 48 hours of ordering, and in many cases even less.
The company continues to build distribution centers all over the country, ensuring that they’re able to serve customers more efficiently.
Amazon also offers grocery delivery in select cities, and that service is now set for significant expansion.
On Wednesday, Amazon announced that it will be expanding its same-day grocery delivery to an additional 1,000 cities and towns across the country. Cities on the list for expansion include Milwaukee, Tampa, Columbus, Ohio and Raleigh, North Carolina.
The overhauled service will also offer thousands of new items for customers to shop for, and the expansion will put it in 2,300 American cities by the end of 2025.
New options include produce, dairy, meat, seafood, baked goods and frozen foods. The company says that it will use insulated bags and other materials to ensure that perishable items remain at proper temperatures.
With a more comprehensive selection, Amazon will be able to directly compete with services like Shipt, Instacart and even Walmart+.
All offer same-day delivery on groceries and other items, pulling from what’s stocked at retail stores. Amazon could have an advantage in this space, as it will allow customers to have groceries delivered with items like electronics and apparel.
What’s Different About Amazon Grocery Delivery?
“By introducing fresh groceries into our Same-Day Delivery service, we’re creating a quick-and-easy experience for customers,” said Doug Herrington, CEO of Worldwide Amazon Stores.
“They can order milk alongside electronics; oranges, apples, and potatoes with a mystery novel; and frozen pizza at the same time as tools for their next home improvement project—and check out with one cart and have everything delivered to their doorstep within hours.”
Amazon Prime members will have access to this benefit at no additional cost, as long as their order total exceeds $25. Non-Prime members will also be eligible for same-day delivery, but will be subject to a $12.99 fee per order.
Amazon says that 150 million Americans spent $150 billion on household goods and groceries through its services last year, a number that does not include orders through Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh.
As Amazon continues to innovate, we’ll see if more customers embrace the ability to have lightbulbs and lasagna delivered in the same order.
