Amazon is launching one- and three-hour deliveries in the US, ramping up a trend toward faster and “instant” deliveries that has been embraced by competitor Walmart and in countries such as China.

Three-hour deliveries are available in about 2,000 cities and towns in the US, with one-hour deliveries available in hundreds of locations, Amazon said.

Udit Madan, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, said the offerings would help customers “save time”.

More than 90,000 products are available for three-hour or one-hour deliveries, including kitchen staples, cleaning supplies, over-the-counter medications, clothing and toys.

Amazon said it expects to expand the service, which began with small-scale tests late last year, to more areas this year.

A storefront shopping page has been added in the areas where the options are available, and users are able to filter search results by delivery time.

The company recently began testing a separate offering called Amazon Now that offers 30-minute deliveries in Seattle and Philadelphia, as well as the United Arab Emirates, India, Brazil and Mexico.

Walmart says it is able to offer deliveries in under 3 hours to 95 percent of US households.

Last year saw intense competition in the “instant commerce” market in China, where large tech companies are competing for an edge in services that deliver select items in under an hour.

In August, the country’s three biggest providers in the market said they would abide by a more “rational” approach, after the market regulator chided them over months of relentless price-cutting.