Amazon trained your customers to think that 1 to 2 day shipping is normal. In some cities, they now expect items in a few hours.

Shopify Plus merchants often feel like they are always playing catch up with a marketplace that owns planes, trucks, and warehouses.

Here is the shift I want you to lock in. Fast delivery is no longer Amazon’s exclusive edge. With tools like Uber Direct for Shopify and modern multi-node 3PLs, mid-market and enterprise DTC brands can match, and sometimes beat, marketplace speed in the cities that matter most.

Across hundreds of brands, I have seen the same pattern. When delivery time shortens and the promise is clear, conversion increases, repeat purchases improve, and your brand feels instantly more trustworthy.

This guide is a practical playbook, not theory. You will see how to use Shopify Plus, local inventory, and Uber Direct to turn rapid shipping into a growth lever you control.

Why Delivery Speed Is Now Make Or Break For Shopify Plus Brands

Fast delivery is no longer a nice extra. It is a core part of the checkout experience and how shoppers judge your brand.

Amazon, Target, Walmart, grocery apps, and same-day services have set a new baseline. Many shoppers now expect clear delivery promises, real-time tracking, and at least one same-day or next-day option.

For smaller Plus brands, this shows up as weak conversion. Shoppers hit your PDP, see “Standard shipping, 5 to 7 business days,” and bounce to a marketplace.

For 7 to 8-figure brands, it shows up as a shrinking repeat rate, rising paid media costs, and fuzzy attribution. Your ads work, but slow or vague delivery quietly drags ROI, one lost order at a time. That is one of the classic invisible profit killers I discuss in “Identify invisible profit killers in your Shopify store.”

How Amazon Changed What “Fast Shipping” Means

Prime changed the definition of “fast.” A few key shifts:

• Two-day went from premium to default.
• One-day became common in dense markets.
• Same-day in major cities reset the ceiling again.

Retail consumers do not compare you to other mid-sized Shopify brands. They compare you to the last best experience they had, which was often Amazon or a large retailer.

So when a customer lands on your site, their brain is running a simple script:

“Can I get this as fast as I’d get it from Prime, and can I trust that date?”

If the answer feels like “no” or “not sure,” many will not even test your brand the first time.

What Shoppers Expect From Shipping In 2025

Uber’s own research on same-day delivery and on-demand logistics points to a clear pattern. When shoppers see a same-day delivery option, they are far more likely to make spontaneous purchases, especially in urban areas and for time-sensitive categories.

In practice, shoppers now expect:

• A clear delivery promise on PDP and in cart, not just at checkout
• Same-day delivery or next-day options in cities, at least for certain SKUs
• Real-time tracking on a map, not just a tracking number
• Simple, predictable returns

This is not just “CX hygiene.” It is a full-funnel performance lever.

In our work on full-funnel paid and retention strategies, I keep coming back to this idea from Full‑Funnel Secrets for Shopify Operators: every step from ad to unboxing is one story. If the delivery promise is slow or fuzzy, your funnel is leaking before the first purchase even lands.

Why Many Shopify Plus Merchants Still Lag Behind

If this all seems obvious and yet your delivery promise still feels “meh,” you are not alone. The common blockers look like this:

1. A single, central warehouse far from your best customers. Great for ops, brutal for speed.
2. Fear of delivery costs. Teams assume same-day will kill margin before they run the math.
3. Tech debt and old workflows. Fulfillment rules, tags, and apps that were “good enough” at $2M become a brake at $10M.
4. The myth that only giants can offer one-hour or same-day. This was true ten years ago. It is not true today.

The painful part is that these issues rarely show up as one big fire. They show up as quiet drag: higher abandoned checkouts, lower repeat purchase, and more discounting to move volume. Slow or vague delivery is one of the quiet threats covered in Turn ghost traffic into revenue.

The New Playbook: How Shopify Plus Stores Can Match Amazon On Speed

Here is the good news. You do not need your own fleet or a national warehouse network to compete on speed. The brands that win on Shopify Plus are using three building blocks together:

1. Local or regional inventory
2. An on-demand courier network like Uber Direct for Shopify
3. Smart checkout, pricing, and onsite messaging

Across hundreds of conversations with operators, this pattern holds. The brands that treat fast delivery as a growth strategy, not a support project, typically see double-digit lifts in conversion in their target cities within the first 30 to 60 days.

Use Local Inventory To Turn Stores And 3PLs Into Mini Fulfillment Hubs

Amazon’s real trick is not magic robots. It is proximity. Many small, close warehouses in a delivery network beat one giant center. You can copy the core of that idea without massive capex.

Simple version:

1. Map your demand. Pull your last 6 to 12 months of orders and find your top three city clusters.
2. Stage inventory closer. Use retail stores, dark stores, or a multi-node 3PL to hold stock in or near those clusters.
3. Wire locations into Shopify. Set each hub as a distinct location and route orders based on customer address.

You do not need perfection on day one. If you can cover 20 to 30 percent of your orders with local or regional inventory, you suddenly unlock fast delivery for a meaningful slice of your base.

Many brands lean on logistics-focused partners and experts that we feature on the podcast to design this footprint. The pattern is the same: start narrow, prove impact, then scale the network.

Layer On Uber Direct For Shopify To Offer One-Hour And Same-Day Delivery

This is where speed jumps from “better” to “Prime-level.”

Uber Direct for Shopify Plus lets eligible merchants in the U.S., Canada, and France offer one-hour, same-day, and scheduled delivery directly in checkout and POS. You do not build your own dispatch system or hire drivers. You tap into Uber’s courier network.

At a basic level, it works like this:

1. Customer selects a fast delivery option at checkout.
2. Your team (or store associate) packs the order.
3. An Uber courier accepts the job, picks up the package, and drops it at the customer’s door.
4. The shopper gets real-time tracking, similar to what they see in Uber Eats.

The app is free to install from the Shopify App Store. Uber charges per delivery, starting from a base fee that shifts by market, distance, and speed.

Here is the key point. You get marketplace-level speed while keeping the direct connection. That fits the thesis in Discover the hidden growth lever: when you improve your owned experience, every other channel suddenly performs better.

After watching multiple Plus brands turn on Uber Direct in core cities, a clear pattern emerges. Same-day delivery options in high-intent regions typically lift conversion by 10 to 20 percent within the first 30 days, and repeat purchase in those zones climbs as customers “retrain” their habits away from marketplaces with same-day delivery.

Design A Smart Delivery Offer That Protects Margins

Speed without profit is just an expensive stunt. The smart play is to shape when and how fast delivery appears.

A few practical levers:

• Limit one-hour delivery to tight delivery zones and higher order values.
• Set free same-day above a strong AOV threshold, for example 1.5x your current average.
• Charge a fair rush fee. Many shoppers will happily pay for speed if the promise is clear.

Uber Direct gives you pricing control. You can absorb the fee, split it, or pass it through. Start simple:

• Test free same-day above a spend threshold in one city.
• In a second city, charge a flat fee.
• Track conversion, AOV, and repeat rate for each group.

This is where you tie fast delivery into your profit stack, not away from it.

Make Fast Delivery Visible In Your Marketing And On Site

Turning on Uber Direct in the backend is not enough. Customers need to see the promise and tracking tools.

Treat delivery like a core benefit, not a footnote:

• Add “Same-day in [city] if you order by 2 p.m.” above the fold for visitors in eligible zip codes.
• Call out fast delivery options on PDPs, in cart, and in your FAQ.
• Bake it into creative: paid social, email, and SMS.

One mistake I see a lot: brands quietly launch local delivery, then bury the details. They never get full value because the story is missing from the funnel.

Inside Uber Direct For Shopify Plus: Setup, Costs, And Best Use Cases

Let’s get concrete. If you are on Shopify Plus and operate in the U.S., Canada, or France, Uber Direct is one of the fastest ways to fight Amazon on speed without rebuilding your tech stack.

What Uber Direct For Shopify Plus Actually Does

In plain language, Uber Direct for Shopify:

• Integrates into Shopify checkout and Shopify POS
• Lets customers choose one-hour, same-day, or scheduled delivery where available
• Connects your orders to Uber’s courier network
• Sends real-time tracking links to customers for seamless real-time tracking

Large retailers like Sephora and Best Buy already use Uber Direct and similar services in their mix. That is your signal that same-day is becoming standard in key categories.

For Plus merchants, the integration comes through the Shopify App Store, with a no-code setup inside your admin.

How To Set Up Uber Direct On Your Shopify Plus Store

Here is a simple setup path that most teams can complete in a day:

1. Confirm your store is on Shopify Plus and in an eligible country.
2. Install the Uber Direct app from the Shopify App Store.
3. Create or connect your Uber Direct account.
4. Choose which locations (stores, warehouses, dark stores) can offer fast delivery.
5. Select which speeds to show: one-hour, same-day, scheduled delivery.
6. Set pricing rules and delivery zones.
7. Place a few test orders end to end from checkout and Shopify POS, and walk through the full customer view with real-time tracking.

No API builds, no six-month project. For most brands, the real work is operational, not technical: training staff and aligning inventory.

Understanding Pricing And How To Keep It Profitable

Uber Direct offers transparent pricing per delivery, with a base fee that varies by market, distance, and speed. There are no setup fees or required monthly minimums. Charges come from Uber, separate from your Shopify bill.

To keep this profitable, model a simple unit economics view:

• Average order value
• Gross margin
• Typical Uber Direct fee by zone and speed
• How much of that fee you can eat while staying in your target contribution margin

A simple starting rule set could be:

• Customer pays full fee for one-hour delivery
• Same-day is free above, for example, $150 in cart
• Scheduled delivery has a small flat fee

Review the data after 30 days and adjust. You can afford to be generous in zones and segments where lift in AOV and repeat rate outweighs delivery cost.

Best Situations To Use Uber Direct To Beat Amazon

You do not need to offer fast delivery on every SKU, in every region. Focus where speed creates a clear edge:

• Last-minute gifts (jewelry, flowers, premium food, tech accessories)
• Perishables and fresh items
• Beauty, wellness, and personal care where urgency is high
• Peak periods like BFCM and holidays when carriers slow down

Shopify Plus merchants with strong urban demand or retail locations see the biggest gains.

Real World Playbook: How To Roll Out Fast Delivery In 90 Days

Let’s turn this into a 90-day roadmap you can actually run.

Phase 1: Map Your Demand And Delivery Readiness

First 2 weeks, your job is clarity, not action.

• Pull order data and find your top 3 to 5 city clusters.
• List every location that holds inventory: warehouses, 3PL nodes, stores, pop-ups.
• Measure current delivery time by region, not just the promise on your site.
• Audit your onsite copy using your delivery expertise: what do you tell customers about shipping today?

Look for 1 to 3 cities where you already have:

• Strong order volume
• Local or near-local inventory
• A product mix that benefits from speed

Those are your pilot markets. You do not need a perfect national plan before you start.

Phase 2: Launch A Local Pilot With Uber Direct

Next 30 to 45 days, run a focused test.

• Pick one or two cities and a single origin location for each.
• Turn on Uber Direct for Shopify for those locations only.
• Start with same-day and scheduled; add one-hour if your ops can handle it.
• Limit to a subset of SKUs if needed to keep complexity low.

Train your team on delivery operations:

• Packing standards for courier pickup
• Handoff flow with drivers
• What to do if a courier cancels or a delivery window slips

In the first month, track:

• Uptake rate on fast delivery options
• Change in conversion in those zip codes
• On-time delivery rate
• Customer feedback in reviews and support tickets

The goal of the pilot is not perfection. It is proof that speed moves the needle in your real numbers.

Phase 3: Scale What Works Across Markets And Channels

Final 30 to 45 days, scale the winners.

• Expand delivery zones where uptake and margins look healthy, particularly to meet holiday shipping deadlines during peak seasons.
• Add more origin locations to improve last-mile delivery as your inventory network matures.
• Test different price thresholds and fees.

Then, integrate the story into your full funnel:

• Segment ad campaigns for same-day cities and highlight the promise.
• Add regionalized banners and PDP badges for fast delivery zones.
• Include fast delivery as a reason to buy again in your lifecycle flows.

Make Fast Delivery Part Of Your Brand Promise

Amazon does not own fast delivery anymore. With the Shopify ecosystem, including Shopify Plus, local inventory, and Uber Direct for Shopify, you can match marketplace speed in the markets that matter most, without owning trucks or a massive warehouse network.

The big moves are simple:

1. Design a fast delivery strategy around your best markets and closest inventory.
2. Turn on Uber Direct as your on-demand fleet in those zones.
3. Make delivery speed part of your brand story to foster customer relationships, from ads to PDP to online checkout to post-purchase flows.

If you take nothing else from this, take this: speed and reliable fulfillment are now growth levers, not just ops metrics. Pick one region, one location, and one offer to test in the next 30 days and let the data guide your next step.