"Walmart has a running start in the contest to build a loyal customer base in rural America. Roughly 90% of U.S. residents live within 10 miles of a Walmart store, and 45% of the company's full-service Supercenters are in places with populations under 20,000, according to a report by investment bank Morgan Stanley."
"Amazon last year invested $4 billion to bring same-day or next-day deliveries to 4,000 smaller cities, towns and rural communities. They included places like the coastal town of Lewes, Delaware, Milton, Florida, a city hat is considered the state's canoe capital, Padre Island, Texas, which is about 37 miles from Corpus Christi, and Abbeville, Louisiana, known for its Cajun food scene."
"In a letter to shareholders last month, CEO Andy Jassy said the average monthly number of Amazon customers receiving same-day deliveries doubled in 2025 compared to the year before. Amazon is using artificial intelligence-based tools to better forecast demand, while opening small micro hubs in rural areas."
""While other companies have been backing away from these customers, we've been running to them," Jassy wrote."
Walmart and Amazon are accelerating online order deliveries in rural areas of the United States, targeting a large pool of previously underserved customers. Walmart benefits from widespread physical coverage, with most Americans living near a Walmart store and many Supercenters located in small towns. Amazon has invested billions to extend same-day or next-day delivery to thousands of smaller cities and rural communities. Remote work has increased populations in fringe areas, making delivery services more viable. Amazon reports that same-day delivery customers doubled in 2025 and uses AI-based demand forecasting and micro hubs to improve efficiency. Both companies are competing as logistics providers adjust delivery operations.
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