Amazon expands ultra-fast delivery service to more than 120 Indian cities

Amazon has expanded its ultra-fast delivery service, Amazon Now, to more than 120 cities across India, doubling its footprint in two weeks as the e-commerce giant steps up its delivery network ahead of the festive season.

The service is now available in cities including Amritsar, Abohar, Jalandhar, Ambala, Mangalore, Manipal, Visakhapatnam, Kochi, Changanassery, Bhubaneswar and Karwar, Amazon said in a statement on Friday.

Amazon Now offers tens of thousands of products, including groceries, fruits and vegetables, frozen food, personal care items, fashion and beauty products, small appliances, and home and kitchen goods. Orders are fulfilled through a network of nearly 800 micro-fulfilment and urban fulfilment centres, the company said.

"We are delighted to take ultra-fast deliveries with Amazon Now to India's hinterland - from Amritsar & Abohar in the north to Kochi & Changanassery in the south - ahead of the Amazon Great Indian Festival. Amazon Now continues to be the fastest-growing ecommerce business unit in Amazon India's history, with orders doubling every quarter.

"This accelerated rollout underscores our commitment to making fast & reliable delivery accessible to customers across the country. We look forward to continuing to scale up and offering the widest selection of products at the fastest delivery speeds this festive season," said Harsh Goyal, Vice President - Everyday Essentials, Amazon India.

Amazon said in September that Amazon Now had crossed USD 1 billion in annualised gross sales in India based on the previous three-month period. The company plans to expand the service to more than 300 cities and build what it describes as India's largest "delivery-in-minutes" network.

The company said its broader fulfilment network can offer tens of thousands of products within minutes or a few hours, more than one million products through same-day delivery, more than four million the next day and millions more through Prime delivery.

Amazon Now will also offer deals during the Amazon Great Indian Festival, which begins October 8. Amazon said customers can access deals across categories including smartphones, electronics, fashion, beauty and home essentials, while SBI credit and debit card customers can receive a 10 per cent instant discount on eligible transactions. Prime members will be eligible for additional savings of up to 10 per cent.

Customers can check the availability of Amazon Now by looking for the "Now" banner in the Amazon shopping app.