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The Seattle-based company said it started testing the express delivery service late last year and expanding it this month.

Walmart delivered another standout quarter as the promise of lower prices and speedy deliveries drew in a broader spectrum of Americans during the critical holiday shopping period.

The Commerce Department report raised questions about shoppers’ ability to spend this year as they worry about a slowing job market and uncertainty around tariffs and their impact on prices.

Amazon reported fourth-quarter earnings slightly below Wall Street estimates even as sales surged and it reported the fastest growth in its prominent cloud computing business in 13 quarters.

Walmart posted strong sales and profits that blew past Wall Street expectations as it sets itself up for a strong holiday shopping season.

Analysts are assessing Amazon's results, along with other retailers' earnings performances, to get insight into how shoppers are spending heading into the holiday season.

Amazon also said it will lower the cost of its entry health care plan to $5 per week and $5 for co-pays, starting next year.

Shoppers seek low prices for groceries and other essentials to offset worries that new U.S. tariffs may make a variety of goods more expensive.

Michael Fiddelke succeeds Brian Cornell, who helped re-energize the company when he took the helm in 2014 but has struggled to turn around weak sales in a more competitive retail landscape.

Retail sales rose 0.5% last month, a slowdown from a revised 0.9% in June, according to the Commerce Department’s report released Aug. 15.