FILE PHOTO: Walmart signs are displayed inside a Walmart store in Mexico City, Mexico, March 28, 2019. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido/File Photo

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Walmart Inc’s Mexico unit has begun offering delivery within three hours for certain home and tech products ordered online, it said on Monday, taking another step to try to best e-commerce rival Amazon.com Inc at speedy shipping.

The new service from Walmart de Mexico applies to about 12,000 products within certain dimensions delivered within Mexico, including laptops, cell phones, televisions and clothing irons, the company said in a statement.

The retailer this year opened two distribution centers dedicated to e-commerce in Mexico, Walmart’s largest overseas market by store count, in its push to boost logistics and compete with Amazon.

Amazon, which launched in Mexico in 2015, offers same-day delivery within Mexico City for some items.

Fast shipping is a crucial part of the race to dominate e-commerce. In one of Walmart’s latest efforts to draw shoppers online, it began offering free next-day delivery in the United States in May, shortly after Amazon announced a similar offer.