June 24 (Reuters) - Amazon.com ( AMZN ) plans to expand

its same-day and next-day Prime delivery services to over 4,000

smaller cities and rural regions in the United States by the end

of 2025, it said on Tuesday, as the company doubles down on

efforts to grow its domestic footprint.

Amazon ( AMZN ) earlier this year announced plans to spend more than

$4 billion to grow its U.S. rural delivery network by the end of

2026, promising faster shipments to drive up demand from

consumers in small towns and the countryside.

The company said it was already seeing customers purchase

more frequently and shop for household essentials at higher

rates since it started offering faster deliveries in these

regions.

With more than 200 million paid Amazon Prime members

worldwide, Prime has become a key growth engine for the company.

In a bid to boost Prime's performance, Amazon ( AMZN ) has focused on

expanding geographically while also offering discounts to

younger shoppers to grow its subscriber base.