Amazon Prime shipping is becoming available in places you might not expect. A growing number of independent online stores could soon offer Prime delivery on their websites, and shoppers will not need to log into an Amazon account to use it.
The move forms part of an expansion of Amazon Supply Chain Services, a programme in which merchants pay the company to store their inventory and to pick, pack and ship items to customers. Sellers will not face additional charges for offering Prime shipping as a delivery option, and they can retain their usual payment processing, order management and store policies.
How Prime Shipping Works on Non-Amazon Sites
Picture browsing one of the thousands of independent stores across the web that are not part of Amazon.com. After selecting your items and heading to the checkout, you may find Prime listed as one of the shipping options. For those with a Prime membership, that can mean fast and free delivery.
The concept itself is not entirely new. Independent stores have previously offered Prime shipping on their websites through a “Buy with Prime” widget. The key difference now is that shoppers will no longer need to click that widget and then log into their Prime account separately. Instead, the entire purchase can be completed directly on the retailer’s website.
Membership Confirmed After Checkout
If you select Prime as your shipping choice, Amazon will confirm your membership status once the order has been placed. This removes an extra step from the checkout process and keeps shoppers on the merchant’s own site throughout.
The expansion has the potential to reach a substantial audience. There are more than 240 million Prime subscribers worldwide, of whom 180 million are based in the United States. As more merchants adopt the option, Prime delivery could appear across a far wider selection of online retailers than before.
