U.S. Retailers Shift to Ultra-Fast Three-Hour Delivery Benchmark

Amazon.com Inc. is accelerating a broader industry shift toward ultra-fast e-commerce by expanding its drone delivery service to nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns by the end of 2026. The company claims orders can arrive in as fast as 30 minutes, with most arriving around 60 minutes after checkout.

This move coincides with a new industry benchmark for orders completed in three hours or less. Walmart reported that 37% of its store-fulfilled orders last quarter met this three-hour window. Home Depot is expanding its three-hour delivery option nationwide, while Target reported 25% growth in same-day services, leveraging the fact that 80% of U.S. households live within 10 miles of its stores.

Grocery and home improvement sectors are seeing similar trends. Kroger attributed half of its recent e-commerce growth to deliveries completed in less than one hour. Similarly, Lowe's reported that the rollout of free and same-day delivery options drove its online business growth.