Amazon Compares Buy with Prime with Other Risky Moves

“Launching Amazon Prime and independent sellers on Amazon were big bets that a lot of people didn’t understand at first. It’s the same thinking that we’re bringing to one of our latest big ideas, one that I’m incredibly excited about: Buy with Prime.”

Amazon Stores CEO Doug Herrington wrote those words in a blog post on Monday, describing the company’s belief that Buy with Prime would benefit customers, and in doing so, benefit Amazon – just as Prime and FBA programs had done.

Buy with Prime lets shoppers buy on a merchant’s own website through their Prime membership. As Amazon previously described, “Buy with Prime allows millions of US-based Prime members to shop directly from your direct-to-consumer e-commerce store with the experience they expect from Amazon—including fast shipping, a seamless checkout experience, and free returns on eligible orders. If you use FBA, you can add Buy with Prime to your store within minutes.”

Amazon launched Buy with Prime last year by invitation and made it widely available to sellers in January 2023.

Amazon’s Herrington announced in his post that merchants who participate in Buy with Prime can now offer Prime Day deals on their own websites. Amazon is promoting participants on the Amazon website and through a blog post highlighting Buy with Prime deals.

Herrington explained Amazon’s reasoning for expanding Prime off Amazon:

“If customers use Buy with Prime on another website, they’re still benefitting from their Prime membership, which at the end of the day is making their lives better and easier. I look forward to the day that Prime members will see Buy with Prime buttons across the internet—and be able to enjoy fast free delivery whether they shop on or off Amazon. Those will be happy Prime members. And happy Prime members will be loyal Prime members.”

Amazon explains how much the program costs merchants, and boast that it boosts conversion rates an average of 25% on sites that participate.

It would be interesting to know how many Prime subscribers would prefer using Prime over another payment method on a retailer’s website. Readers, feel free to chime in. And do you see any downsides for Amazon in promoting other sites – and what about the impact on third-party sellers on Amazon who don’t participate?

Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.