Amazon lends Prime perks to other online retailers
In an effort to get Prime in more places around the web, Amazon announced its first effort with an outside retailer today at the Money2020 Conference. AllSaints, a British clothing retailer, is the first to opt in to the online shopping giant's paid membership. Customers can sign-in and pay with an Amazon account all while the same free next shipping that comes from shopping at the mothership (with no minimum purchase). AllSaints products show up in search results on Amazon, but the transaction happens at its own site, and it handles the logistics. "Prime could be the VIP pass to the Internet," AllSaints' Rich Ascott told Recode.
The deal appears to me more like an ad agreement: Amazon doesn't take a cut of sales, but instead charges a fee each time a shopper clicks through from its listings. As you might expect, other retailers have been hesitant to sign on, not wanting to water down brands by having them show up next to discounted options. Of course, this news comes on the heels of Amazon adding unlimited photo storage for Prime members at no extra charge. We'll have to wait and see if the annual subscription will indeed unlock access all over the interwebs, but Bezos & Co. are certainly hard at work adding more benefits to pad the user count.
[Photo credit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
