Amazon Business Hour Delivery Rate becomes a required metric for U.S. seller-fulfilled Business orders starting September 30, 2026, with a minimum 90% performance threshold.
With about 93% of online shoppers prioritizing convenience, marketplaces continue investing in faster and more reliable deliveries. Amazon’s new Amazon Business Hour Delivery Rate is the latest policy aimed at improving delivery performance for seller-fulfilled Business orders.
The update is part of Amazon’s broader effort to provide more dependable deliveries for Business customers. It also follows similar fulfillment policy changes introduced across several international marketplaces.
New Business Hour Delivery Requirement Raises the Bar for FBM Sellers
Amazon is introducing the Amazon Business Hour Delivery Rate as a new performance requirement for seller-fulfilled shipments to Amazon Business customers in the U.S. The policy is intended to help ensure packages arrive during customers’ operating hours, reducing missed deliveries and re-delivery attempts.
Starting September 30, 2026, sellers must maintain a 90% or higher Amazon BHDR, measured over a rolling 14-day period. The metric tracks the percentage of seller-fulfilled shipments delivered within a business customer’s operating hours.
If a seller’s performance falls below the required threshold on September 30, Amazon will issue a notification and provide recommendations for improvement. Sellers that do not reach the required rate by October 30 may have their Amazon FBM offers deactivated for Amazon Business customers, while FBA and retail offer eligibility will remain unchanged.
Amazon recommends several tools and practices to help sellers meet the new Amazon delivery standard:
- Use reliable carriers.
- Set accurate handling and transit times.
- Enable Automated Handling Time.
- Turn on Shipping Settings Automation.
- Use Amazon Buy Shipping, which guarantees compliance with the requirement when used together with the other two automation tools.
Sellers working with an experienced Amazon agency may also review these operational settings as the new requirement approaches, but Amazon’s announcement specifically highlights the recommended tools and shipping practices as the primary ways to meet the policy.
Amazon Expands FBM Delivery Standards Across Multiple Marketplaces
According to Ecommerce News, Amazon is extending stricter fulfillment requirements beyond the U.S., signaling a broader effort to improve Amazon delivery performance for seller-fulfilled orders. The rollout of the Amazon Business Hour Delivery Rate in the U.S. follows similar policy updates already announced in several European marketplaces.
The latest changes affect multiple countries, although the timing and enforcement vary by marketplace. The table below summarizes where the updated requirements are being introduced.
| Marketplace | Policy Update | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
Germany |
90% OTDR requirement |
Starts Sept. 1, 2026 |
|
Germany |
90% Business delivery requirement |
Starts Sept. 30, 2026 |
|
United Kingdom |
Stricter OTDR enforcement and Business delivery requirement |
Starts Sept. 2026 |
|
France |
Updated FBM requirements and FBM Ship+ |
Already implemented |
|
Spain |
Updated FBM requirements and FBM Ship+ |
Already implemented |
|
Italy |
Updated FBM requirements and FBM Ship+ |
Already implemented |
Amazon’s latest policy changes also place greater emphasis on accurate handling times for seller-fulfilled orders. Beginning July 15, seller accounts using a default two-day handling time will automatically be updated to one day, while SKUs with handling times that remain longer than actual fulfillment performance may be transitioned to Automated Handling Time after September 1.
The company said these updates are designed to improve the accuracy of delivery promises while helping sellers present shipping estimates that better reflect their actual operations. Amazon also expects the changes to improve conversion by giving customers greater confidence in estimated delivery dates across its European marketplaces.
Handling Time Accuracy Becomes a Bigger Priority
The latest handling time requirements complement the broader Amazon Business Hour Delivery Rate initiative by encouraging seller-fulfilled orders to display more accurate shipping estimates. For shoppers, this means delivery dates that are more closely aligned with actual fulfillment timelines, helping set clearer expectations before a purchase is made.
The update also increases accountability for Amazon FBM sellers to keep configured handling times consistent with their shipping performance. If a SKU is repeatedly shipped at least one day sooner than its stated handling time, sellers will have 30 days to correct the setting before Amazon may take over handling time management and provide late shipment rate protection for up to 180 days.
Amazon encourages sellers to use Automated Handling Time, which updates handling times based on recent fulfillment history. Sellers may still manage these settings manually, but Amazon will evaluate shipping performance over a rolling 30-day period to identify the fastest handling time that can be maintained without exceeding a 4% late shipment rate.
The handling time update represents another step in Amazon’s effort to improve delivery reliability alongside the rollout of Amazon BHDR. The policy does not apply to custom, handmade, or bulky less-than-truckload shipments.
Retail Dive, citing Amazon
