Amazon expands 15-minute delivery to United Arab Emirates
Amazon is offering an ultra-fast delivery service called Amazon Now in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The online giant is delivering everyday essentials to customers in the UAE in 15 minutes with Amazon Now, which is its fastest delivery service to date, following its introduction in India earlier this year. The company is operating micro-fulfillment centers across the UAE to enable faster deliveries of products including fresh fruits and vegetables, groceries, personal care and electronics, while reducing delivery distances.
Available daily 24/7, Amazon Now is available to all UAE customers. Members of the Amazon Prime subscription service using the service can obtain free shipping on Amazon Now orders above roughly $7 or pay a delivery fee of approximately $1.60 per order for orders below this value.
Amazon has also added a new two-hour delivery service in the UAE on products from more than 30 categories including electronics, grocery, beauty, health and personal care, nutrition, and baby products.
[READ MORE: How Amazon achieved its fastest ever delivery speeds in 2024]
Customers can shop as usual across the Amazon UAE e-commerce site and see eligible products labelled "Get it Today" with a deadline time and a lightning icon to aid identification. It is available to all Amazon UAE customers, with Prime members using the service obtaining free shipping on two-hour delivery orders above roughly $27 or pay a delivery fee of approximately $1 per order for order sizes below this value.
"With Prime, customers get even more value as always through exclusive savings, faster delivery, and added value on top of the benefits they already enjoy year-round," said Ronaldo Mouchawar, VP of Amazon Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, in a corporate blog post. "The response has exceeded our most optimistic expectations, with daily orders growing at more than 40% on average month over month and Prime members doubling their shopping frequency after they begin using Amazon Now."
How it works
Amazon Now is currently available across all major locations in the UAE. Customers in eligible locations can gain access to Amazon Now by clicking on the ‘Amazon Now’ logo visible on the main navigation bar of the Amazon app, or by visiting the Amazon UAE website.
The service is supported by strategically located micro-fulfillment centers, which are compact, technology-enabled facilities designed exclusively for ultra-fast deliveries. These centers position essential selections close to customer neighborhoods, utilizing advanced inventory systems that optimize product placement based on hyperlocal demand in an effort to maximize efficiency and speed with safety.
Ultrafast delivery services that focused on getting customers in densely populated urban areas in as little as 15 minutes or less, often supported by micro-fulfillment centers, began popping up in the U.S. a few years ago, but most failed to gain traction. Companies such as Jokr and Buyk shuttered operations in the U.S. in 2022, with Philadelphia-based Gopuff a rare success story in the space.
