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E-commerce leader Amazon.com ( AMZN ) announced Wednesday that it was expanding its free same-day delivery to 11 additional metro areas and expanding coverage in several other major markets. Free same-day delivery is a perk for Amazon Prime subscribers, the company’s loyalty program. Prime costs $99 a year, for which users get such other perks as free video streaming and free two-day shipping where same-day delivery isn’t available. With same-day delivery, orders placed before noon arrive before 9 p.m. the same day. Afternoon orders will arrive the next day, the company said in a press release Wednesday . Prime has more than 50 million members, some analysts say, and is a key driver in the e-commerce giant’s explosive growth. Amazon hasn’t disclosed its Prime membership numbers. Amazon says that its same-day delivery option is now available in more than 1,000 cities and towns in the U.S. “Prime was developed to make shopping on Amazon fast and convenient, and millions of members have used Prime free same-day delivery to make their lives even easier,” Greg Greeley, vice president of Prime, said in the release. “We keep making Prime better, and as our operational capabilities grow, we will continue to invent and expand delivery options that customers love.” The new markets are Cincinnati; Milwaukee; the North Carolina cities of Charlotte and Raleigh; the California cities of Fresno, Sacramento and Stockton; Richmond, Va.; Louisville, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Tucson, Ariz. Amazon stock was up nearly 2%, near 597, in afternoon trading on the stock market today . The company has an IBD Composite Rating of 77, where 99 is the highest. Amazon and its dominant position in the market have left other e-tailers such as eBay ( EBAY ) and Wal-Mart ’ s ( WMT ) Walmart.com struggling to gain traction. EBay announced Tuesday that it was launching a new shipping supplies store that will provide eBay-branded packaging to sellers using the site. Startups such as Jet.com and Alibaba ( BABA )-backed ShopRunner are also taking aim at Amazon’s dominance. Scalper1 News
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