Amazon targets small towns for faster deliveries; Consumer confidence retreats; Office attendance edges lower

Amazon plans to extend next-day and same-day deliveries of online orders to more than 4,000 small and rural U.S. communities by year’s end. The e-commerce giant said this is part of a previously announced $4 billion investment to increase its fast deliveries to regions where those are not currently available.

Seattle-based Amazon plans a combination of facility openings and conversions of some existing rural delivery hubs into hybrid centers that can carry out multiple functions, such as inventory storage and package preparation. It is also planning to increase the use of artificial intelligence, including “advanced machine learning algorithms” to predict which items will be ordered most frequently.

“This expansion goes beyond speed — it’s about transforming daily life for rural customers, who typically live farther from brick-and-mortar retailers, have fewer product and brand choices, and face limited delivery options when shopping online,” Amazon said in a Tuesday statement.

Amazon did not release a complete list of regions slated for new services, or the number of planned new or revamped delivery hubs. But it did reference communities such as North Padre Island, Texas; Asbury, Iowa; Lewes, Delaware; and Fort Seneca, Ohio.

The company previously extended its quick deliveries to more than 1,000 small cities, towns and rural communities. Its $4 billion in planned nationwide investments through the end of 2026 are expected to triple the size of its delivery network, creating on average 170 new jobs at each new delivery station. 

U.S. consumer confidence lost much its May gains in the latest reporting by the Conference Board. The economic research group’s June survey, based on several metrics gauging household finances and the larger business climate, showed confidence posting at 93 for June, 5.4 points lower than May, with the year 1985 used as a base of 100.

“Consumers were less positive about current business conditions than May,” Conference Board Senior Economist Stephanie Guichard said in a statement Tuesday. “Their appraisal of current job availability weakened for the sixth consecutive month but remained in positive territory, in line with the still-solid labor market.”

June’s pullback in confidence was reflected across all age groups and nearly all income groups. Several consumer surveys, including those by the University of Michigan, have underscored flagging sentiment over the past three months amid concerns over trade tariffs and their potential effects on inflation.

The Conference Board noted that the cutoff date for preliminary results of its latest survey was June 18, prior to Middle East events that included U.S. air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The group said respondents’ purchasing plans for cars held strong by recent standards, while plans to buy homes declined and most consumers were undecided about big-ticket purchases overall.

Average office attendance for 10 large U.S. regions has fluctuated in recent weeks but remains close to peak levels posted in March, averaging 53.5% of pre-pandemic levels for the week ended June 18 in Kastle Systems’ latest tracking. That was down slightly from 53.7% in the prior week.

The security technology firm has been gauging weekly attendance since March 2020, using anonymous keycard data from its office property clients. Attendance has consistently averaged above 51% for much of 2025, peaking at 54.5% of pre-pandemic levels for the week ended March 5.

The latest numbers showed Dallas leading for office traffic at 62.5%, with Austin, Texas, at 61.1% and Houston at 60.1%. Next came Chicago at 59.6%, New York at 56% and Washington, D.C., at 50.3%.