Amazon is rolling out Amazon Now in Houston, offering 30-minute delivery on groceries, household items, electronics and more.
HOUSTON — Amazon is rolling out a new ultra-fast delivery service in Houston that promises to bring groceries, household essentials and other popular items to customers’ doors in 30 minutes or less.
The new service, called Amazon Now, officially launched in dozens of cities across the country this week, including Houston, as the company pushes deeper into rapid delivery options for customers who need items quickly.
“Amazon Now is our new ultra fast delivery service that’ll get items to you in around 30 minutes or less,” Amazon Senior Communications Manager Lindsay Hamilton said during an interview on KHOU 11 Morning News Wednesday. “We’ve got fresh groceries, household essentials, just a big selection. Thousands of those ‘need it now’ items.”
According to Amazon, the service includes fresh groceries, bakery items, electronics, health products, pet supplies and other everyday essentials. The company says customers can shop thousands of items through the Amazon app or at amazon.com/now.
Houston is among the cities where the service is currently expanding, along with Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Orlando, Phoenix and Denver.
How Amazon Now works
Amazon says the service relies on smaller fulfillment centers located closer to neighborhoods instead of traditional large warehouses.
“The way that it’s possible is through specialized, smaller fulfillment locations that are placed closer to where people live and work,” Hamilton said. “It’s not about moving faster from those bigger warehouses that you might see. It’s about getting that in-demand selection closer to where customers are.”
Customers in eligible areas will see a “30-Minute Delivery” banner inside the Amazon app or on the website.
Prime members pay $3.99 per order for Amazon Now deliveries, while non-Prime customers pay $13.99, according to Amazon. Small-order fees also apply to purchases under $15.
What items are available?
Amazon says customers can order everything from groceries and household products to electronics and other last-minute items.
Hamilton said some of the most popular products include paper towels, Bluetooth speakers, gaming controllers and even toilet plungers.
“We’ve got household goods, paper towels, toilet plungers are a popular 30-minute item,” Hamilton said. “And then we have other items like wireless earbuds, gaming controllers, Bluetooth speakers.”
Hamilton also said some customers in Houston are already seeing extremely fast delivery times.
“Well, our fastest delivery in Houston was eight minutes,” Hamilton said. “It was lip balm and other beauty items that got to [a customer] in just eight minutes.”
Not all Houston-area customers currently have access to Amazon Now, but the company says the rollout is expanding.
“If you see in the app a 30-minute delivery banner at the top of the app, then the address that you’re logged in [with] could be covered by Amazon now,” Hamilton said. “We’re growing the service.”
Amazon says it plans to expand Amazon Now to tens of millions more customers across the U.S. by the end of the year.