Instacart falls as Amazon announces ultrafast delivery testing in major US cities

Shares of Instacart were down as much as 4% in early trading on Tuesday after e-commerce giant Amazon outlined plans to test ultrafast delivery offerings in parts of Seattle, Washington, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

On Monday, Amazon released a statement announcing that deliveries of “household essentials and fresh grocery items” in approximately 30 minutes or less are now available in certain areas.

The ultrafast offerings come as part of Amazon Now, the company’s same-day grocery delivery service, which has been looking to expand since moving into selling perishable goods like eggs, milk, and fresh produce earlier this year.

While Instacart had a stronghold on rapid grocery delivery for years — following a solid debut on the Nasdaq back in 2023, the stock has risen gradually on some better-than-expected results — analysts have been wary that its retail offerings won’t be able to match Amazon’s incredible reach.

Amazon’s ultrafast service will build on its Prime model, with the statement detailing that Prime members will get discounted delivery fees, starting at $3.99 per order — compared with $13.99 for non-Prime customers.

Far from the first, and certainly not the last, it seems that Instacart might have just gotten “Amazoned.”