Amazon pushes delivery speed as Q1 revenue surges to $181B

news - FreightWaves

April 29, 2026

Amazon’s core e-commerce engine showed renewed momentum in the first quarter, with rising unit volumes, faster delivery speeds and improving logistics efficiency helping offset heavy capital spending tied to AI and infrastructure.

Seattle-based Amazon reported adjusted earnings per share of $2.78 on $181.5 billion in revenue, up 17% year over year and the fastest pace since the tail end of pandemic-era demand.

“Q1 was a strong quarter for Amazon,” CEO Andy Jassy said during the earnings call. “We continue to find new ways to speed up delivery for customers in both cities and rural areas.”

The e-commerce and cloud services giant beat Wall Street analysts forecasts of EPS of $1.65 on $177.2 billion in revenue.

Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) expects second-quarter revenue between $194 billion and $199 billion, with Prime Day shifting into Q2 — likely driving another surge in e-commerce volumes and transportation demand.

E-commerce growth driven by speed and selection

Amazon continues to double down on delivery speed and selection—two pillars tightly tied to freight demand and network utilization The company also crossed a major operational milestone:

“We’ve delivered more than one billion items same day or overnight so far this year,” Jassy said.

The company expanded:

Same-day delivery to thousands of cities
1-hour and 3-hour delivery on 90,000+ items
Ultra-fast “Amazon Now” (sub-30-minute delivery) across nine countries

For freight markets, the shift toward ultra-fast delivery is increasing shipment frequency and tightening fulfillment cycles — key drivers for last-mile capacity.

Fulfillment network efficiency improving

Despite higher volumes, Amazon is gaining efficiency across its logistics network—an important signal for transportation cost discipline.

Outbound shipping costs rose 12% year over year, while fulfillment expenses increased 9%, both trailing 15% unit growth.

The company attributes the gains to better network execution, including inventory positioning and automation.

“We are pleased with the fulfillment and network performance in Q1,” CFO Brian Wachowski said during the earnings call.

For carriers and shippers, that signals Amazon is moving more freight at lower incremental cost — continuing to pressure rates in dense networks.

Amazon is continuing to refine how inventory is placed across its network — reducing miles traveled per package and shifting freight toward regional lanes, according to Jassy.

“We continue to find new ways to speed up delivery for customers in both cities and rural areas,” Jassy said, highlighting ongoing network redesign efforts.

Grocery and same-day demand drive higher order density

Amazon’s grocery push is also influencing its logistics footprint.

“Our grocery business continues to grow quickly across both perishables and non-perishables,” Jassy said.

With more than $150 billion in grocery sales in 2025, the company is seeing strong adoption of same-day perishables, which drive larger basket sizes and more frequent deliveries.

That trend is increasing demand for temperature-controlled logistics, local fulfillment nodes and high-frequency delivery routes, company officials said.

“Whole Foods market also continues to accelerate with over 550 stores today and 100 more coming in the next few years,” Jassy said. “We remain committed to meeting or beating other retailers on price, and in Q1, the average prices of products offered on Amazon.com decreased compared to the same period last year.”