Key takeaways
- Amazon’s commitment of $1.9 billion in the Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program is anticipated to help DSPs increase driver pay to a national average of nearly $23 per hour, depending on DSP and their location.
- Since the program launched seven years ago, Amazon has invested a total of $16.7B to support DSPs and their drivers.
- Amazon announced a new agentic AI digital assistant that makes it seamless for DSPs and their teams to analyze their business performance—transforming hours of manual work into seconds.
- Amazon is using AI to enhance driver safety and delivery quality through smarter routing technology, improved mapping systems that automatically correct issues, and auto translation of customer delivery instructions across 30+ languages.
- Amazon announced that DSPs will have the option to offer their drivers 10 free, grande handcrafted beverages from Starbucks during the peak season.
As we enter year seven of the Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program, I'm so proud of how we've grown together—from an idea about how to empower aspiring entrepreneurs to a robust program supporting thousands of small businesses as they scale delivery operations, invest in their drivers, and strengthen local economies. Since launching in 2018, the program has grown into a vibrant global network of 4,500 small business owners, who exemplify innovation, resilience, and customer obsession, while creating economic opportunity in their communities and delivering smiles to customers daily.
Every year, we gather DSPs at our annual Ignite event and share some updates about things we’re doing to help them continue to thrive. Here’s an overview of the news we shared this year.
Investing in DSP rate card increases
This year we’re excited to be investing an additional $1.9B in the DSP program, bringing our total investment over the last seven years to $16.7B. We anticipate that Amazon’s investments over the past two years will have helped DSPs increase pay by an average of 13%, and that this year’s investment will help DSPs increase driver pay to a national average of nearly $23 per hour, depending on DSP and their location. Many DSPs are already paying above that, and our increased DSP rates will continue to support them in their efforts to recruit and retain high-performing teams, which is essential for building sustainable delivery businesses. We’re proud to continue our investments and love seeing how DSPs use them to further strengthen their teams and businesses.
Enhancing safety at every turn
We’re also continuing to invest in safety to drive innovation and improvements that help create even safer delivery experiences for drivers. For example, we've developed smarter routing technology that analyzes traffic patterns and road conditions to design safer routes. We've also utilized some of the recent breakthroughs in multi-modal AI to combine satellite imagery, delivery success signals, and public information sources to improve our understanding of the world. When drivers encounter mapping issues, they can report them, and our AI systems automatically process this feedback to fix problems quickly.
The investments we've made in safety, together with the leadership and operational excellence of DSPs, have yielded significant results: over just the past year, we’ve seen a 32% decrease in behaviors like speeding and distracted driving.
Harnessing AI innovation to support the DSP and driver experience
Technology is a part of our DNA at Amazon, and our teams have worked hard to develop AI-driven tools that support DSPs in operating their businesses, and improve the delivery experience for their drivers. That’s why we’re launching new agentic AI tools that DSPs can use as digital assistants, helping them analyze delivery patterns, process driver feedback, and implement mapping improvements through natural language commands—which means they can simply type requests in everyday conversational language. What previously required hours of manual work can now be accomplished in seconds, providing instant access to business insights, policy information, and operational data. We've also created technology that translates customer delivery instructions across more than 30 languages, making it easier for drivers to understand exactly where to leave packages. These tools help DSPs and their drivers operate more efficiently and free up time to focus their priorities—such as growing their businesses, supporting their teams, and delighting customers.
Investing in our communities through our Together, We Give program
We began the “Together, We Give” program in 2023 with a mission to invest in and create positive impact in the cities and towns that Amazon and DSPs serve. This program has already empowered hundreds of DSPs across the U.S. and Canada to support meaningful local causes, including disaster relief efforts, local hospitals, and school districts. I’m so proud to share that—this month alone—we’ve collectively donated over $430K to various nonprofits and also donated school supplies to over 60K students across the US and Canada. As part of this, we’re contributing $270,000 to Ronald McDonald House, with DSPs having the option to match or make independent donations.
Providing another thank you to drivers this holiday season with Starbucks
To show our appreciation for DSPs and their hardworking teams, we're excited to share that we’ve collaborated with Starbucks, enabling DSPs this holiday season to offer their drivers 10 free, grande handcrafted Starbucks beverages throughout Peak season. Drivers can access these complimentary drinks via unique QR codes in their app from late November through December. We look forward to sharing more details with DSPs ahead of the November launch.
This is just one small gesture to help DSPs thank their drivers for all they do to deliver for customers during the holiday season. I look forward to seeing drivers grabbing their free beverage in the morning at Starbucks while I pick up my Tall Cappuccino!
This is just one small gesture to help DSPs thank their drivers for all they do to deliver for customers during the holiday season. I look forward to seeing drivers grabbing their free beverage in the morning at Starbucks while I pick up my Tall Cappuccino!
As we look to the future of the DSP program, I'm excited about the continued growth and innovation that lies ahead. To every entrepreneur in the program and every driver who delivers day in and day out with such dedication—thank you. Your contributions extend far beyond packages delivered—you're building businesses, strengthening communities, and demonstrating what’s possible through your commitment and hard work.
