Amazon has launched an initiative designed to boost the convenience and reliability of its same-day and next-day delivery to tens of millions of customers in more than 4,000 smaller cities, towns and rural communities across the United States.
After delivering to Prime members at record-breaking speeds in 2023 and 2024, Amazon stated, the company continues innovating to deliver even faster in 2025 even as it adds those target communities. So far this year, the number of items Amazon delivered same or next day in the U.S. increased by more than 30% versus the same period in 2024. However, the company notes its rural expansion is about more than speed. Amazon said it’s also about transforming daily life for rural customers who typically live farther from brick-and-mortar retailers, have fewer product and brand choices and face limited delivery options when shopping digitally. Amazon emphasized members of its Prime loyalty program have access to unlimited free same-day delivery when spending over $25 at checkout.
One of the ways rural residents, especially those that are Prime members, will benefit most from the expansion is by shopping everyday essentials, groceries and household goods, which they can get delivered in short order, the company said. Amazon has added a large assortment of everyday essentials to its lineup of products qualified for same-day delivery to make stocking up on groceries and household goods from home easier. In the first quarter of 2025, Amazon’s everyday essentials sales volume grew at more than twice the pace of all other categories in the U.S., the company indicated Today, Amazon is one of the largest grocers in the U.S., with more than $100 billion in gross sales even with revenue from Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh excluded.
Amazon added the company is investing more than $4 billion to triple the size of its delivery network by the end of 2026, with small towns and rural communities in the U.S. a particular focal point.
“Everybody loves fast delivery,” said Doug Herrington, CEO of Worldwide Amazon Stores. “Whether you live in Monmouth, Iowa, or in downtown Los Angeles, now you’re going to have the same fantastic Amazon customer experience: The ability to get the wide variety of items you need to keep your household running every day, delivered the same or next day.”
