(Reuters) -Amazon.com 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 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 has focused on expanding geographically while also offering discounts to younger shoppers to grow its subscriber base.

(Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)