Superhero movies. Bottomless brunches. Doggy day care. Gas stations the size of shopping malls. Desserts in the shape of pizzas.
These are just a few of the things that make American culture so special.
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And while some may argue the U.S. gets only more divided, particularly as we head deeper into a presidential-election year, all 330 million of us still can probably agree on a few things.
One of those things is a core value — free and fast delivery — at one of the largest and most successful companies ever known to mankind.
In 2024 we could be talking about a variety of different companies. But the one that really kicked off speedy fulfillment is Amazon (AMZN) , which rolled out the Prime membership system, complete with free and fast (then two-day) shipping — in 2005. That was the Stone Age of online shopping.
Since then, two-day shipping has become more or less the gold standard for internet consumers. Whether it’s a book, a pair of shoes or a new car, if you’re shopping for it online, you’re likely to expect it fast. Like, by the end of this week, fast.
An Amazon contract worker sorts packages for delivery in New York.
Fast shipping is now an expectation
It doesn’t matter if you’re a newcomer to business to consumer fulfillment or you’ve been online for ages. Ever since covid, most customers largely shopped for their goods online, whether out of preference or mandate. This sudden and dramatic shift in consumer behavior made it crucial to a company’s survival not just to offer delivery but to keep up with the big boys.
Walmart (WMT) quickly followed suit, and its paid membership program, Walmart+, now offers two-day shipping, with some orders coming as quickly as same-day.
Target (TGT) in March launched its own fast-fulfillment initiative, but it promises members of its Target Circle 360 program will get orders in as little as one hour.
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Amazon outlines record fast deliveries
As other retail giants work to keep up with Amazon’s fast shipping, the online giant has been working to outpace them.
On Monday, Worldwide Amazon Stores CEO Doug Herrington outlined a new report about how the company has been doing when it comes to fast delivery.
He wrote that Amazon set a record during the first three months of 2024, delivering more than two billion products on the same day or following day after orders were placed.
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“In March, nearly 60% of Prime member orders arrived the same or next day across the top 60 largest U.S. metro areas, and we delivered three out of four items the same or next day in London, Tokyo, and Toronto,” Herrington wrote.
He also mentioned that in 2005, when Amazon Prime began, about one million products were available via two day-shipping. Now, that number has ballooned to over 300 million.
Herrington shouted out some of the brand partnerships that have helped propel Amazon to its success. Some of its most popular brands currently include:
DysonLevi’sStanleyPelotonCliniqueCoach
Tens of millions of Amazon’s popular products are now available for same- or next-day shipping.
“That is over 20 times more products that we can deliver twice as fast compared to when Prime first launched,” Herrington wrote.
Amazon will report its Q1 earnings on Tuesday, April 30. Analysts are expecting earnings per share of 83 cents on revenue around $142.5 billion.
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