E-commerce giant Amazon is poised to close out an impressive 2025 and is looking forward to an even bigger 2026. Fans of shopping on Amazon for their groceries can expect store expansion over the next year. Amazon is banking on its robotaxi service, not for deliveries, but for transporting people. And for those selling products on Amazon, there is a massive shift in that sellers must label and prepare products for shipping themselves, a service that was previously handled by Amazon.
Amazon itself and Prime, with its impressive benefits offered to users, have seen massive growth since their inception. Amazon has the largest e-commerce market share in the United States, dominating competitors like eBay and WalMart. Its revenue has grown rapidly year over year, reaching billions of dollars in sales each year. All this growth and success has allowed it to look to 2026 with an innovative eye. Its plans for the new year aim to expand its services, offer more customer offers and continue to win over consumers in the e-commerce market.
Grocery delivery and robotaxis
Amazon offers home grocery delivery for Prime and non-Prime members, although non-Prime members have to pay an additional fee, making it worth it as a Prime member. Amazon currently offers same-day grocery delivery in more than 2,000 cities and is looking to expand it even further by 2026. This demand is driven by Amazon’s focus on fast delivery of perishable groceries, like fruits and vegetables, which top Amazon’s perishable delivery charts. Given that products can go bad quite quickly in your kitchen, it’s easy to see why fast delivery of these items would be a goal for Amazon in 2026.
Robotaxis are ramping up operations in a handful of states where you can drive one in the United States. Amazon calls its service Zoox, which can accommodate up to four passengers at a time, and it’s already being used by Amazon workers. Zoox will begin offering rides to residents of Las Vegas and the greater San Francisco Bay Area in 2026.
Since it is a driverless vehicle, there is no steering wheel, but screens for each passenger display their personal routes to their destination as well as estimated arrival times. The technology doesn’t stop there, as it also offers charging ports and wireless chargers for your phones, tablets and other devices. Each seat also has its own air conditioning. The goal of robotaxis is to facilitate transportation in busy metropolitan areas.
A new shipping system for sellers
Amazon is a good platform for large sellers and independent sellers to list their products. For independent sellers, it offers a reputable e-commerce service, integrated marketing and a better way to get more visibility. Previously, Amazon itself labeled and packaged items on behalf of sellers in what was called Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) shipments. This ends on January 1, 2026, as sellers will now be responsible for this part of fulfillment themselves.
This places a greater burden on sellers, prompting them to take on additional costs and supplies. If they can’t manage it themselves, they will need to work with certified third-party logistics providers. This goes beyond just making sure the product is in a box with a label. There are compliance guidelines that must be followed, and it is now up to the seller to understand them.
For those who buy from Amazon but don’t sell, this could mean higher prices on items to recoup operational costs. Some prices on Amazon have already increased due to tariffs. For sellers, this means reworking current operations to comply with these new rules. Whether Amazon’s planned changes for 2026 are positive or not, the e-commerce giant is ready to kick off the new year with ambition and innovation.
