Amazon's "Buy with Prime" - How can sellers make the most out of it?

Ishita Chauhan

Amazon India kick started in 2013 with 100 sellers and now it has over 10 lakh sellers selling on its e-commerce platform from across India. It is commendable how Amazon is helping small businesses across the country and actively figuring out ways to simultaneously grow while benefiting the retailers as well as the shoppers. A 2021 market report from research firm Media Partners Asia states that Prime Video has 22.3 million paying subscribers in India alone. As a seller, being able to serve millions of customers the full benefits of Amazon Prime would put you at an enormous advantage, and you can do this both through Amazon’s FBA program as well as a regular seller. “Buy with Prime” is another similar initiative where you as a retailer or online seller can use Amazon’s shipping and inventory services while keeping shoppers at your website.

Sounds confusing? Let’s delve deeper!

What is “Buy with Prime”?

Fast, free shipping, as easy checkout experience as an Amazon Buy Box product, and free returns—to your online stores, ultimately increasing the selection for Prime members are some of the benefits of Prime shopping. Currently, Amazon is partnering with sellers on an invitation-only basis, including those that have Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) in place. 

So the next question that arises is whether you must be a listed seller on Amazon.com to levy this program? The answer is a NO, you can use the benefits of Buy with Prime even though you are not a listed seller on Amazon.com it’s just that as of now Amazon is inviting the sellers who are listed and have FBA in place initially for a smooth start, it will be rolled out more broadly over time.

Meanwhile, if you are already set up for FBA you can add the option for your customers by clicking a few links and plugging in a JavaScript widget on your digital site.

How does it work?

When a shopper is visiting your website and selects to buy one of the products displayed on your site, he/she will find the Prime logo with the delivery promise and the option to buy with prime in addition to existing checkout options.

After selecting the ‘buy with prime’ option the shoppers will be redirected to the prime page where they can log into their Amazon prime accounts.

The checkout menu automatically fills the shopper’s preferred payment and shipping details from their Amazon account history, making it easy for shoppers to checkout. With reduced cart abandonment, customers can select the place order option. After that, a personalized confirmation email will be sent to the customer, and it’s done!

Amazon will handle the entire order and delivery process from this step on. In this way ‘Buy with Prime’ does not replace your native checkout; it just offers an additional way for Prime members to quickly check out. When shoppers click on the ‘Buy with Prime’ button, they are directed to the ‘Buy with Prime’ hosted checkout.

After the ‘Buy with Prime’ purchase is complete, shoppers are redirected back to your site.

You as a participating online seller will have to display the Prime logo and expected delivery date on eligible products in your online store. With this feature, your customer would be getting a simple, convenient checkout experience using Amazon Pay, and you leverage Amazon’s fulfilment network to deliver orders. Amazon will also manage free returns for eligible orders. EASY right!

What are the cost associated with “Buy with Prime”?

The cost per unit will depend on multiple factors such as product dimensions and weight, average selling price, and the number of units per ‘Buy with Prime’ order.

The cost will also include fulfilment, storage, payment processing, and service fees that are calculated per unit, and the cost of returns will be included in the fulfilment fee.

You as an e-commerce seller will be paying for what you use, and all fees, except for those incurred for storage, will be charged only after you make a sale.

How can a seller benefit from “Buy with Prime”?

Amazon will be sharing Buy with Prime shopper information with you, including their name, email address, shipping address, and phone number.

You can use shopper information to engage your customers and increase traffic on your website along with increasing sales. It will also help you improve customer relationships and improvise your product based on their feedback.

Also with the Prime badge, you get the trust and loyalty of Amazon’s customer base along with hassle-free inventory management and delivery services of Amazon itself.

Not to forget that the use of this information should strictly comply with your privacy policy and applicable law. However, you cannot share information with any third party that identifies shoppers as Prime members unless it is solely servicing you.

So, what are you waiting for, go grab yourself a slot in the initial invites from Amazon and start delighting your customers.

Happy Selling!

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