Amazon Delivers Fastest Ever for Prime Members Worldwide

In addition to helping Prime members get the products they want and need even faster, Amazon’s accelerated delivery speeds help small and medium-sized businesses thrive in our store, with the majority of these 5 billion items delivered on behalf of independent sellers through Fulfillment by Amazon. More than 60% of Amazon’s store sales come from independent sellers.

Prime has grown over the years to offer savings, convenience, and entertainment in one membership. Members enjoy exclusive deals and shopping events like Prime Day, as well as benefits like Prime Video and Amazon Music, and great savings with exclusive access to deals every day. But fast, reliable delivery of a wide selection of products remains the foundation of our offering and an ongoing priority for us. We’ve evolved to make customers’ lives easier, so they can shop our store for the things they need and love and get them fast. But we’re not stopping there.

How have we achieved our most efficient delivery service so far and what are our plans to continue improving it from now on?

Using AI and technology to bring products closer to the customer

Using AI, we can expand the selection of products we keep closest to customers and stock more of the everyday essentials that our customers consistently order and reorder (think paper towels or dog food). This means more customers can get the items they want, more often, and faster. As part of this, we’re evolving the way products from suppliers and our merchant partners enter our fulfillment centers. In 2023, we spent a lot of time ensuring that the products leaving our facilities were shipped faster and more efficiently. This year, we’re making sure the same is true for the products we receive. The goal is for our operations teams to have a better view of what inventory – and how much of it – is coming in, so they can align that inventory with what customers in that specific region want and need, making our entire process more efficient. In Europe, we reduced the average distance each parcel traveled within our middle mile network by 25 kilometers in 2023 compared to 2022.

Investing in advanced technologies in Amazon’s European distribution centers

Founded in 2017, the lab serves as the hub for the global Mechatronics & Sustainable Packaging team. Established in 2019, the team will be responsible for installing over 1,000 new robotics and AI-driven innovations across our European fulfilment centre (FC) network by the end of 2024, representing an investment of over €700 million. These advanced technologies include item sorters, pallet movers and automated guided vehicles, which actively support Amazon employees in their roles across our sites. Robotics and technology play a critical role in enhancing our operational network, while AI enables us to scale these developments across a global operation serving millions of customers worldwide. With each technology comes different skill sets and, in many cases, the creation of new specific roles. In fact, over 50,000 jobs in FCs across Europe have been enhanced by the introduction of new technologies over the past decade, supporting employees in their roles, providing them with a safer working environment and upskilling opportunities. At the same time, robotics and AI-driven innovations are improving price, choice and convenience for our customers.

Improving our Same-Day Delivery capabilities

Fast, free delivery is the foundation on which Amazon Prime is built, and since 2014, Amazon has introduced a Same-Day service in Europe, allowing customers to shop for their last-minute ‘need-it-now’ occasions and conveniently get products delivered to their doorstep within hours and with a less than 24-hour promise. Same-Day Delivery is currently available in over 150 cities across Europe. The service is free for Prime members on eligible orders (over a certain order amount) and a chargeable fee for non-Prime members. In 2024, we will continue to invest for our customers, expanding the service to more cities in Europe and accelerating Same-Day speeds.

Building a fleet for more sustainable deliveries

We have thousands of electric delivery vans on the road across Europe and micromobility hubs in 20 cities including London, Paris and Munich. In 2022, we delivered over 120 million parcels using more sustainable modes of transport (EVs and micromobility). All delivery bags, envelopes and boxes across Europe are 100% recyclable.

Prime Air Drones to Deliver in 2024

The latest Prime Air drone, the MK30, has been unveiled as part of the latest expansion of the Prime Air programme and is unlike any other drone used for parcel delivery. The drones will be deployed to soon-to-be-revealed destinations in the UK and Italy.

We’re delivering faster speeds while improving the overall safety of our employees. Delivering packages faster isn’t a matter of moving faster within our facilities, it’s a matter of being smarter about our structure and product placement. That means we’re continuing to make our workplaces safer, even as we get faster.

Our global recordable incident rate (RIR) – which includes any work-related injury requiring more than basic first aid treatment – ​​has improved by 30% over the past four years, and our global lost time incident rate (LTIR) – which includes any work-related injury that requires someone to take time away from work – has improved by 60% over the past four years. Our latest safety metrics represent measurable and meaningful progress and are a direct result of more than $1 billion invested in safety initiatives, technologies and programs since 2019. By 2024 alone, we’ve committed $750 million to further advance our safety efforts, with a focus on ergonomic improvements.

What was true when Amazon was founded is true today: Customers want choice, low prices, and fast delivery. We’re expanding choice and delivering faster than ever. And we’re committed to continuing to invest and invent to deliver on those core customer values.