Amazon said on Thursday that third-party merchants would be able to provide Prime membership perks such as free and quick delivery to Prime consumers directly through their own online businesses, rather than through Amazon’s platform.
The Buy with Prime option will initially be accessible exclusively by invitation to merchants who are already using Fulfillment by Amazon, a programme that allows businesses to send items to Amazon (AMZN) fulfilment centres and have the internet giant handle packaging, shipping, returns, and customer care.
Prime members will see the Prime emblem on eligible items in other merchants’ online storefronts, and they may opt to check out using their Amazon account’s payment and shipping information.
The move, which might weaken Amazon’s grip on other online retailers, comes as the company faces heightened antitrust scrutiny, including allegations that it gives itself an unfair edge over third-party sellers.
Amazon has been chastised for allegedly collecting data from individual third-party vendors to help design its own private-label items. Amazon has disputed that this is the case.
Amazon looks to be targeting the expansion of services like Shopify, which helps businesses manage their own online storefronts, with this new choice. During the pandemic, Shopify’s popularity skyrocketed, owing to a larger e-commerce surge.
For many businesses, Shopify’s allure was that it allowed them to keep tighter ties with their clients while also giving them greater control over their online stores.
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