Amazon introduced an ultrafast delivery option in the United Arab Emirates that has the potential to ship groceries, cosmetics, electronics, and other home products to customers within 15 minutes or less on Tuesday.
In a release, the company said the service refers to Amazon Now and offers a range of “everyday essentials.”
Amazon claimed that orders can be placed “24/7” and then shipped using the micro-fulfillment centers, or mini-format warehouses, in the neighborhoods of the UAE.
The company claimed that the products available in each site are “based on hyperlocal demand.”
Amazon reported that the deliveries can take as little as six minutes to some of its locations.
It is the first expansion of Amazon Now, which was launched in Bangalore and New Delhi earlier this year in the UAE.
Amazon Now will be competing with already established “quick commerce” companies in India, including Zepto, Swiggy, and Blinkit, and also Noon and Careem in the UAE.
During the last few years, Amazon has developed a vast internal logistics and fulfillment network that has provided the company with an increasing level of control over the speed of delivery.
The company has been increasing the number of items it delivers within two days or more, and the following day as it has made. It is also beginning to roll out delivery drones in certain sections of the U.S. and Europe, which can drop off some packages within 30 minutes or less.
In recent years, a wave of instant delivery startups emerged in the U.S. that promise to drop items at the doorsteps of shoppers within 15 minutes or less, although most have been acquired or closed, including Russia-born Buyk or Fridge No More, and Turkey-based Getir pulled out of the U.S. last year.
Amazon now gives free shipping to Prime members whose orders are over $6 (AED 25) and to those that are less than that, as well as a delivery fee of approximately $1 (AED 6) will be charged.
