Amazon aims to reach ‘tens of millions’ more small town and rural customers with same-day delivery

Amazon plans to bring the speed of its same-day and next-day delivery to more customers in smaller U.S. cities, towns and rural communities, the company announced Tuesday.

The tech giant said it hopes to reach “tens of millions” of Prime members in more than 4,000 locations by the end of 2025, building on the delivery speed records it set the previous two years.

Amazon announced in April that it’s investing over $4 billion to triple the size of its delivery network by the end of 2026, with a focus on small towns and rural communities. It’s also transforming its rural delivery infrastructure to serve multiple functions, such as preparing packages for final delivery and storing inventory on site to enable faster delivery.

The company said the investment will create more than 100,000 new jobs, at delivery stations themselves and through driving opportunities.

Amazon is also using machine learning algorithms to predict which items will resonate with Prime members based on their unique needs in a given area. This includes stocking a mix of the most-popular and frequently purchased items and “products curated to fit local preferences like wild bird food in Dubuque, Iowa, travel backpacks in Findlay, Ohio, and after sun body butter in Sharptown, Maryland,” Amazon said.

Prime members in areas farther away from traditional brick-and-mortar retailers can also get their hands on Amazon’s “everyday essentials” in a speedier manner. A large selection of groceries and household items are now available for free same-day delivery to Prime members who spend over $25.

Amazon credited fast delivery speeds for its $100 billion in gross sales of groceries and household essentials in 2024, excluding sales from Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh.

Prime memberships cost $14.99 per month or $139 per year.