Amazon has launched its Amazon Now service in Brazil, promising to deliver groceries and essential items within 15 minutes as the company steps up investments in one of its key global markets.

The service officially began operations on Tuesday in Sao Paulo, with plans to gradually expand to seven additional cities by March 9, according to Amazon Brazil’s Shopping Experience Director, Fernanda Grumach. A broader nationwide expansion is also planned in the future.

Amazon Now, which debuted in Mexico last year and is already available in the United States, will provide free delivery for Amazon Prime members in Brazil. Non-Prime customers will pay a delivery fee of 5.49 reais (approximately $1.04). The company also announced that no service fee will be charged for an undetermined introductory period.

Brazil’s e-commerce market has become increasingly competitive, with major players such as MercadoLibre and Shopee, owned by Singapore-based Sea Limited, competing aggressively for market share.

Amazon has recently signaled a more assertive strategy in Brazil, introducing new promotions and cutting logistics fees for sellers on its platform. Country head Juliana Sztrajtman described Brazil as a priority market for the company’s global investments, though Amazon later clarified that it does not formally rank investments by country.

The company will partner with delivery app Rappi to operate the new rapid-delivery service. Since entering Brazil in the early 2010s, Amazon says it has invested approximately 55 billion reais in the country.

Sztrajtman emphasized that Amazon’s expansion efforts aim to attract new sellers and increase customer traffic. “Amazon Now is a service that brings in more customers and traffic,” she said, adding that the company remains focused on long-term growth despite recent aggressive promotional campaigns.

($1 = 5.2648 reais)