AMAZON PRIME

Users of Amazon Prime have access to additional services that would otherwise be unavailable or cost more to other Amazon customers. It is a paid subscription service offered by Amazon and is available in many different countries. Services offered include grocery shopping, streaming music, video, and e-books, as well as same-day, one- or two-day delivery of goods. Amazon stated in April 2021 that Prime had more than 200 million subscribers globally

Early history

For an annual fee of $79 (which will be $118 in 2022)and discounted one-day shipping rates, Amazon Prime offers free two-day shipping within the contiguous United States on all qualifying purchases.  Amazon introduced the program in Germany, Japan, and the UK in 2007. It followed with launches in France (under the name "Amazon Premium") in 2008, Italy in 2011, Canada in 2013, India in July 2016, Mexico in March 2017, Turkey in September 2020, Sweden in September 2021, and Poland in October 2021.  Amazon Prime is also accessible in Ireland, and a significant expansion is scheduled for 2022. As of October 2021, there are Prime members in 22 nations across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America.

2012–2016. 

 In Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, India, and the United States, Amazon Prime membership also includes Amazon Video, which offers free instant streaming of a limited selection of movies and TV shows. [15] In November 2011, it was revealed that Prime members had access to the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, which enables users to borrow up to one popular Kindle e-book per month. [16] People who typically are students and have an email address at an academic domain like . Edu or . Ac . Uk are eligible for Prime Student benefits, which include Prime membership discounts. [17]. 

 

 Amazon raised the cost of its US Prime membership from $79 to $99 per year in March 2014. Shortly after this modification, Amazon unveiled Prime Music, which offers limitless, ad-free music streaming. [19] Amazon launched Prime Photos in November 2014, allowing users to store an unlimited number of files that are considered to be photographs in their Amazon Drives. In May 2015, Amazon started providing free same-day delivery to Prime members in 14 US metropolitan areas. [23] In April 2015, Amazon launched a pilot program with Audi and DHL to allow some owners of Audi-connected cars in the Munich, Germany, area to receive deliveries right into the trunks of their vehicles. [24]. 

 

 According to Amazon, "tens of millions" of people are Amazon Prime subscribers as of December 2015. [25] During the third week of December 2015, Amazon Prime added 3 million new members. The Streaming Partners Program, a paid subscription service that offers additional streaming video services to Amazon Prime subscribers, was launched by Amazon that month. Showtime and Starz are a couple of the networks that have contributed to the program. Smithsonian Earth, Qello Concerts, and Lifetime Movie Club (which features current original movie releases from Lifetime Television and Lifetime Movie Network). 

 

 2016–2022. 

 According to a report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, Amazon Prime had 54 million subscribers as of January 2016. [28] According to several reports from January 2016, almost half of all U.S. S. Amazon Prime had households as members at the time. [29] In April 2016, Amazon declared that same-day delivery would be extended to 27 metro areas, including Charlotte, Cincinnati, Fresno, Louisville, Milwaukee, Nashville, Central New Jersey, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Stockton, and Tucson. [30][31] In London, England, Amazon debuted a restaurant delivery service in September 2016 for Prime members, offering free delivery on all purchases over £15. [32]. 

 

 In September 2016, the Amazon subsidiary Twitch announced features that were only available to users with an Amazon Prime membership (Twitch Prime), such as monthly offers of video games and add-on content, as well as the option to buy a free subscription once per month to a user's channel. In-game loot was then made available to subscribers as a reward through a partnership between Amazon and various game developers. Games like Apex Legends, Legends of Runeterra, FIFA Ultimate Team, Teamfight Tactics, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Doom Eternal, and others were among the loot rewards. [35] Beginning in December 2016, Amazon started selling Prime membership for a $10.99 monthly fee[36], which was later raised to $12.99 in February 2018. Wickedly Prime, an Amazon own-brand line of foods and drinks that is only available to Prime members, was also announced. [38]. 

 

 In June 2017, Amazon unveiled Prime Wardrobe, a program that enables customers to try on clothing before making a purchase. [39] Additionally in 2017, Amazon unveiled the Prime Exclusive Phone program, which offers some smartphones from manufacturers like LG, Motorola, and Nokia at a discount. These smartphones feature Amazon ads on the lock screen. [40]. 

 

 Amazon raised the annual US Prime membership fee from $99 to $119 in May 2018. [41] Amazon announced that Prime Free One Day was now available to U.S. Customers in June 2019, expanding its one-day delivery service with Amazon Prime. S. Members on more than 10 million products with no minimum purchase requirement. [42]. 

 

 The installation of "mini-fulfillment centers" by Amazon in a few U.S. Cities was announced on March 3, 2020. S. To speed up same-day delivery times in Dallas, Orlando, Philadelphia, and Phoenix, among other cities. [43] Later that same month, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime express delivery dates for various in-stock items in the US reached delays of up to a month instead of the usual 1-2 days as Amazon struggled to meet the unusual demand and announced it would prioritize the most essential items. [44] Amazon Prime Pantry was completely discontinued by the end of 2020. [45]. 

 

 Amazon announced in February 2022 that the annual US Prime membership fee would rise from $119 to $139, marking the first increase in nearly four years. The cost of labor and shipping went up, which caused the increase. [46]. 

 

 In April 2022, Amazon introduced "Buy with Prime," a new service for Prime members that enables them to buy products from partnered merchants and make use of Amazon's logistics, return, and exchange services. [47]. 

 

 Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines all received Amazon Prime for the first time on August 1st, 2022. Its presence aims to create regional and global content for users in Indonesia, the region's most economically significant country. Later, users can access Prime Video on the official website using a variety of devices and platforms, including laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. [48]. 

 

 RXPass, a service that delivers prescription medications, was made public by Amazon in January 2023. It enables access to 60 medications for $5 a month for US Amazon Prime members. Except in states with specific prescription delivery requirements, the service was introduced right away after the announcement. RXPass registration is not open to those who are covered by government healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid. [49]. 

 

 Sub-brands. 

 Streaming music from Prime. 

 The cost of the standard Amazon Prime membership includes access to the ad-free music streaming service known as Prime Music. [50] It started in 2007. [51] The music library was significantly increased in November 2022, and the format was changed to resemble Pandora or listening to a radio station. This means that when users select a song on Prime Music, a song that is similar to the song they chose plays in its place. [50][52] Users can skip a set number of songs per hour if they don't like the song that Prime Music substituted. [50] This modification was made in an effort to help Amazon compete with Walmart's competing products. [53]. 

 

 Amazon also offers a different subscription service called Amazon Music Unlimited, which has a price of $8.99 for Prime subscribers and $9.99 for non-members. [54] Music Unlimited subscribers can select the songs they want to listen to without being directed to similar songs or artists. [50]. 

 

 Ten percent of the market is occupied by Amazon's music streaming services, making them less well-known than Apple Music and Spotify. [51]. 

 

 Video on Demand. 

 Amazon Prime Video is the main topic. 

 On September 7, 2006, Amazon Unbox, the service's American name, made its debut. Amazon Video on Demand became the name of the service as of September 4, 2008. Even though the local program is no longer accessible as of August 2014 for downloading purchased instant videos, the term "Unbox" still refers to it. The service changed its name to Amazon Instant Video on February 22, 2011. 

 

 As demand for the services increased, Amazon acquired Lovefilm, a UK-based streaming and DVD rental service, in 2011. The combined services were then rebranded as Prime Video. 

 

 Best Gaming. 

 2020 will see Amazon's Twitch Prime service renamed to Amazon Prime Gaming. Prime Gaming is available to Amazon Prime or Prime Video subscribers at no extra cost. [57] The main distinction is that "customers don't need to have a Twitch account (as they did for Twitch Prime) to access Prime Gaming.". [58] Prime gaming subscribers can use a variety of rewards in external video games, such as digital loot, currency, or cosmetics that would typically cost money or are exclusive. Additionally, one Twitch affiliate or partner may receive a free paid subscription from Prime Gaming each month. [56][59][60]. 

 
 Excellent Reading. 

 Beginning in October 2016, Prime members in the U.S. S. Receive access to a changing selection of Kindle e-books via Prime Reading. Through the service, you can also access a few magazines and travel manuals. [62] Kindle Owners Lending Library, which was discontinued in January 2021, Kindle Unlimited, and Kindle First are unrelated to Prime Reading. [63][64]. 

 
 A Prime Pantry. 

 Everyday (non-bulk) non-perishable grocery store items were packaged into a single box and delivered for a flat rate as part of the Amazon Prime Pantry service, which was only available to Prime members. In addition to the US, Austria, France, Germany, India,[65] Italy, Japan, Spain, and the UK, the service was also offered in these countries. The products that were previously available only through Prime Pantry are now sold in the main store as a result of Amazon ending the program in various locations on various dates. There was a small but constantly changing selection of products available, but the range had actually shrunk since the service's inception. Each product listed the percentage of space it will occupy inside the delivery box when choosing items from the Prime Pantry program. How full this box is was indicated by a running tally. No matter the filling percentage, the delivery fee stayed the same. [66] The service had been stopped in all locations by the end of 2020. [67]. 

 

 Now, Prime. 

 Prime Now is the main topic. 

 As a perk for Prime members in certain areas of Manhattan and New York City, Amazon announced in December 2014 that they would be able to receive deliveries of goods within an hour for a fee of $7.99 or within two hours for no additional cost. By the end of 2014, this delivery service offered 25,000 daily necessities. [68] All of Manhattan was added to the service in February 2015. [69] It had been expanded in the UN by the middle of 2016.