Amazon Brings 15-Minute ‘Amazon Now’ Delivery to Shoppers Across the UAE

Amazon.com, Inc. has widened the reach of its quickest logistics program, rolling out Amazon Now to customers throughout the United Arab Emirates. The company announced the regional expansion on 21 October 2025, positioning the service as a way to deliver everyday necessities in as little as 15 minutes.

The launch equips Amazon with a network of micro-fulfillment centers dispersed across the country. These compact warehouses stock a range of frequently purchased products—fresh fruit, vegetables, personal-care items, household staples, electronics and more—allowing drivers to cover shorter distances and reduce overall delivery times. By compressing the last mile, Amazon aims to meet a growing consumer demand for rapid dispatch and near-instant receipt of goods.

A key component of the program is a pricing structure designed to encourage repeat use. Prime members in the UAE receive Amazon Now delivery at no additional cost on orders above AED 25, lowering the threshold for trying the service and potentially boosting membership retention. Orders that do not meet the minimum value incur the standard Amazon Now fee disclosed at checkout.

Alongside the 15-minute option, Amazon introduced a two-hour delivery window for thousands of additional items that sit outside the ultra-fast catalog. Covering more than 20 product categories on Amazon.ae, the two-hour alternative is meant to broaden the assortment while still promising same-day arrival for most urban addresses.

Operational Model

The micro-fulfillment approach complements Amazon’s existing regional infrastructure, which already handles standard same-day and next-day shipments. By pre-positioning high-turnover merchandise at smaller facilities closer to dense residential areas, the company can dispatch couriers almost immediately after an order is placed. That setup supports the 15-minute promise during peak demand periods and is critical in metropolitan zones where traffic congestion can lengthen transport times.

Although Amazon did not disclose the exact number of sites, the firm confirmed that each micro-fulfillment center carries inventory informed by localized purchasing data. Machine learning models determine stock levels for items such as dairy, snacks, over-the-counter medicine and phone accessories. Orders are packed on-site, handed to riders using optimized delivery routes and tracked through the Amazon mobile application.

Market Context

The United Arab Emirates hosts a digitally savvy population with high smartphone penetration and an established appetite for e-commerce. In that environment, rapid-fulfillment programs have emerged as a point of differentiation among online retailers. Competitors offering grocery delivery within 30 minutes or less have set expectations for speed, and Amazon’s 15-minute timeframe is structured to match or outperform those benchmarks.

According to data collected by Statista, retail e-commerce revenue in the UAE has climbed steadily over recent years, underscoring the commercial rationale for Amazon’s investment in tighter delivery SLAs. By integrating fresh produce and household essentials—segments traditionally dominated by brick-and-mortar convenience stores—Amazon is working to capture a larger share of everyday consumer spending.

Financial Snapshot

Analyst sentiment around Amazon’s broader business remains positive. As of 21 October 2025, the average 12-month price target for Amazon stock stood at USD 265.00. That figure implied an upside potential of roughly 19.35 percent compared with the prevailing market price on the same date. Over the trailing six-month period, Amazon shares delivered a return exceeding 32 percent, reflecting investor confidence in the company’s retail, advertising and cloud computing operations.

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Amazon’s principal revenue streams extend beyond its online marketplace. Advertising services, subscription fees and Amazon Web Services (AWS) collectively diversify the firm’s income and help fund the continued build-out of last-mile logistics initiatives such as Amazon Now. Management views the combination of cloud profitability and retail volume as a competitive edge when introducing faster delivery commitments that require capital-intensive infrastructure.

Customer Experience and Eligibility

To access Amazon Now, shoppers within eligible UAE postcodes can select the 15-minute or two-hour option at checkout. The platform flags time slots in real time based on driver availability and stock levels. If demand peaks or inventory at the nearest micro-fulfillment center is depleted, customers automatically receive alternative delivery windows, preserving transparency around service expectations.

While Amazon Now is primarily aimed at Prime members, non-members can still place orders through the program by paying a delivery fee that varies with basket size and distance. The company said it will continue to evaluate pricing incentives and assortment breadth as it gathers customer feedback during the rollout phase.

Beyond the new capabilities, Amazon reaffirmed that its standard same-day, next-day and scheduled delivery options remain unchanged. The firm emphasized that Amazon Now is an added layer targeting urgent, small-basket purchases rather than a replacement for larger, less time-sensitive orders.

With the UAE deployment active, Amazon Now joins a roster of expedited services the company has tested in select global markets. Future geographic expansion was not detailed in the announcement, but Amazon indicated that performance metrics from the UAE will inform decisions about scaling the model to additional countries in the Middle East and beyond.

Crédito da imagem: Insider Monkey