Amazon Introduces Business Hour Delivery Rate (BHDR): New Standards For Sellers

Amazon continues to strengthen its fulfillment standards for seller-fulfilled orders.

The new performance metric is designed to ensure business customers receive their orders during normal operating hours, improving delivery reliability and reducing failed delivery attempts.

If your business sells to commercial customers using FBM, this update deserves your attention.

What Is Amazon's Business Hour Delivery Rate?

Business Hour Delivery Rate (BHDR) measures the percentage of eligible Amazon Business orders delivered successfully during the customer's business hours on the first delivery attempt.

Unlike traditional delivery metrics that focus on shipping speed, BHDR emphasizes whether deliveries arrive when businesses are open to receive them.

Amazon will calculate this metric using a rolling 14-day evaluation period, and sellers must maintain a minimum 90% Business Hour Delivery Rate to remain eligible for seller-fulfilled Amazon Business orders.

Who Will Be Affected?

This update primarily impacts:

• Sellers fulfilling Amazon Business orders through FBM (Merchant Fulfilled Network)
• Businesses shipping directly to commercial addresses
• Sellers relying on their own logistics partners

The following are not affected:

• Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) orders
• Standard B2C customer orders
• Sellers who exclusively use Amazon's fulfillment network

For businesses operating both FBM and FBA, the new requirement only applies to eligible Amazon Business merchant-fulfilled orders.

Why Amazon Is Introducing This Change

Business customers have different delivery expectations than residential buyers.

Packages delivered after office hours often result in:

• Failed delivery attempts
• Delivery delays
• Missed business operations
• Poor customer experience

By introducing BHDR, Amazon aims to improve delivery reliability while ensuring commercial buyers receive shipments during normal working hours.

This reflects Amazon's continued investment in enhancing the B2B purchasing experience rather than simply measuring delivery speed.

What Happens If You Don't Meet the Requirement?

Amazon will begin enforcing the new BHDR requirement from September 30, 2026.

Sellers falling below the required threshold will initially receive notifications and recommendations to improve their delivery performance.

If performance does not improve, Amazon may remove seller-fulfilled offers for Amazon Business customers, limiting visibility to commercial buyers while leaving consumer offers unaffected.

How Sellers Can Improve Their Business Hour Delivery Rate

Maintaining a healthy BHDR requires reviewing both shipping operations and carrier performance.

Amazon recommends sellers:

• Choose reliable shipping partners with consistent commercial delivery performance
• Configure accurate handling and transit times
• Enable Automated Handling Time
• Use Shipping Settings Automation
• Purchase shipping labels through Amazon Buy Shipping whenever possible

Additionally, sellers should regularly monitor delivery performance and identify carriers or regions where failed business-hour deliveries are more common.

A proactive approach can help maintain compliance while improving the customer experience.

Amazon Is Raising the Bar Across Multiple Marketplaces

The BHDR rollout in the United States aligns with a broader pattern of fulfillment improvements across Amazon's international marketplaces.

Recent updates introduced across Europe show Amazon is investing heavily in improving delivery reliability for business customers while encouraging sellers to adopt more accurate fulfillment practices. Some of the recent changes include:

• Germany — Business Hour Delivery Rate (BHDR) and stronger delivery performance standards
• United Kingdom — Enhanced delivery performance monitoring for FBM sellers
• France — Expanded FBM operational requirements and Ship+ adoption
• Spain — Updated fulfillment policies to improve delivery consistency
• Italy — Greater emphasis on shipping accuracy and operational automation

Although implementation timelines vary by country, the direction is consistent: Amazon wants seller-fulfilled orders to deliver a customer experience that closely matches FBA.

Operational Accuracy Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage

Another important part of these updates involves handling time accuracy.

Amazon has announced additional improvements that automatically adjust handling times when seller performance demonstrates faster processing capabilities. Sellers whose configured handling times don't accurately reflect real fulfillment performance may also be enrolled in Automated Handling Time.

These improvements aren't designed to make sellers ship faster — they're intended to make delivery promises more accurate.

Accurate delivery estimates help:

• Increase buyer confidence before purchase
• Reduce delivery-related customer complaints
• Improve overall marketplace trust
• Create a more consistent shopping experience

For FBM sellers, accurate operational data is becoming just as valuable as inventory management or pricing strategy.

Why This Update Matters for Sellers

The introduction of BHDR highlights Amazon's growing emphasis on operational excellence.

Over the past few years, Amazon has expanded its seller performance metrics beyond speed and accuracy to include delivery quality and customer experience.

For FBM sellers, logistics is no longer just an operational function — it has become a competitive advantage.

Businesses that consistently meet Amazon's evolving fulfillment standards will be better positioned to retain Amazon Business eligibility and build stronger relationships with commercial buyers.