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For sellers, the shift underscores a growing expectation that routine purchases — from maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) supplies to janitorial and office products — can be fulfilled within hours rather than days.

Amazon is expanding one-hour and three-hour delivery options across the United States.

The move, while aimed at consumers, raises expectations for speed across B2B purchasing and fulfillment.

The company said the fast delivery services are now available in hundreds of metropolitan areas, covering tens of thousands of frequently purchased items such as cleaning supplies, office products, personal care goods and electronics. The offer builds on Amazon’s same-day delivery network and broader effort to position inventory closer to end customers.

Amazon Prime members can select one-hour delivery for an added fee of $9.99 and three-hour delivery for $4.99. There are higher charges for non-members.

Amazon ranks No. 1 in Digital Commerce 360’s Top 2000 Database. The database is how Digital Commerce 360 tracks the largest North American online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales.

Amazon is also No. 3 in Digital Commerce 360’s Global Online Marketplaces Database. That database ranks the 100 largest such marketplaces by third-party gross merchandise value (GMV).

Amazon expands one-hour delivery in U.S.

The expansion reflects Amazon’s continued investment in regionalized fulfillment, including changes to warehouse workflows, inventory placement and last-mile routing to reduce delivery times. The company has been increasing the number of facilities it has designed for same-day and sub-same-day delivery, enabling it to move high-velocity items closer to dense population centers.

Although the service is marketed to consumers, the implications extend into B2B commerce, particularly for small businesses, contractors and institutional buyers that rely on rapid replenishment of essential goods.

For sellers, the shift underscores a growing expectation that companies can fulfill routine purchases within hours rather than days. That applies from maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) supplies to janitorial and office products, among others.

That dynamic is already influencing procurement behavior. Many business buyers are increasingly using digital marketplaces for urgent or low-complexity purchases, where speed and convenience outweigh traditional supplier relationships.

Amazon’s logistics network, including its Amazon Business platform, is positioned to capitalize on that shift by applying the same infrastructure used for consumer fulfillment to B2B transactions.

“Amazon Business continues to focus on delivery solutions that meet the unique needs of business and commercial customers, including Business Hours Delivery and Same-Day Delivery,” an Amazon Business spokesperson told Digital Commerce 360. “For business customers, we’re starting to roll out 1-hour and 3-hour delivery windows for customers. We’re always listening to our customers and will continue to innovate to deliver the best price, selection, and convenience for businesses.”

The move also intensifies pressure on distributors to reevaluate inventory strategy and service models. Regionalized stocking, micro-fulfillment capabilities and last-mile partnerships are becoming more critical as delivery windows compress.

At the same time, faster delivery introduces cost challenges. Distributors must balance rising customer expectations with the economics of expedited fulfillment. Those costs include labor, transportation and inventory carrying costs.

Amazon’s latest rollout signals that one-hour and three-hour delivery are moving from premium offerings toward a competitive baseline. For B2B distributors, the question is no longer whether to offer faster delivery. Instead, it’s how to do so without eroding margins.

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Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact Mark Brohan, senior vice president of B2B and Market Research, at mark@digitalcommerce360.com. Follow him on Twitter @markbrohan. Follow us on LinkedInX (formerly Twitter)Facebook and YouTube

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