Amazon (AMZN) stock was down 2.18% on Wednesday, even after the e-commerce giant announced the expansion of its pickup locations. According to a press release from the company, it has expanded its U.S. pickup network to nearly 30,000 sites. The sites give shoppers more ways to get their orders on their own time. There's also no added fee for the service. Amazon said the service gives users a way to get goods near home, work, school, or while on a trip.

Amazon noted that more than 25,000 of its sites were Amazon Lockers, while over 750 were on U.S. colleges. Shoppers could also pick up goods at Whole Foods and other sites. The firm said users in the U.S. will pick up more than 100 million boxes from these sites in 2026. Most U.S. users also have at least one pickup site within five miles of home, making them easy to reach.

Some pickup sites also take back goods that users did not want. Whole Foods locations are among the sites that have this option. Users can start a return in their Amazon account and pick a drop-off site. All of this is focused on making the service easier to use. That includes the ability to drop off some goods without a box, label, tape, or other packaging. Instead, an employee takes care of these tasks for the customer.

What This Means for Amazon Stock

The expansion of Amazon's pickup network is a boon to the company. It allows users more control over how they receive their packages. Adding to that, the various services offered at these sites are another benefit for customers. All of this is designed to better appeal to consumers and encourage them to order from Amazon.

Amazon is already the leading e-commerce company in the U.S. However, that doesn't mean it can slack off. Other e-commerce rivals, such as Shopify (SHOP), continue to try and pull customers away from Amazon. There's also the growing threat of Walmart's (WMT) online ordering. Walmart can get customers their goods fast by using its stores as sources of goods. While its e-commerce presence isn't as large as Amazon's, the convenience it offers could help it better appeal to online shoppers.

Amazon also wants to keep third-party sellers on its platform. To help with that, the company has introduced new AI options to help sellers list items on its site.

Is Amazon Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?

Turning to Wall Street, the analysts' consensus rating for Amazon is Strong Buy, based on 39 Buy and two Sell ratings over the past three months. With that comes an average AMZN stock price target of $331.16, representing a potential 32.54% upside for the shares. (See AMZN Stock Forecast)