Amazon has begun selling and delivering products for independent retailers in an attempt to leverage its vast warehouse empire.
The Buy with Prime program, first announced in April, allows Prime members to use their Amazon account to check out on other retailers’ websites and receive free two-day delivery. The service began as an invite-only program but will be made available to all US sellers by January 31, according to Amazon.
According to Amazon, Buy with Prime provides consumers with fast, free delivery, similar to Amazon.com’s Prime service, as well as smooth booking and easier returns, allowing merchants to establish their own direct relationships with customers.
Sharon Gee, VP of revenue growth at Buy With Prime partner BigCommerce, described the move as “essentially… a change in their philosophy,” announced during Amazon’s sellers conference last year. Amazon did not say how much it charges merchants for using Buy with Prime. According to the company, pricing includes fulfillment and storage fees, which vary depending on the sellers’ inventory.
It states that it measured the success of Buy with Prime by comparing conversions on sites where Buy with Prime was available as a purchase option to those where it was not during the same time period.
The sources for this piece include an article in Axios.