Amazon has rolled out a new paid membership program for businesses in the United States and Germany, a clear indication that the company now has its sights on corporate customers.
The program, dubbed Business Prime Shipping, extends Amazon Prime’s free, two-day shipping features to everyone with an Amazon Business account and allows them to purchase office supplies. Some sectors will undoubtedly see this new program as a threat to office supply shops likes Office Depot and Staples, retailers like Walmart and stores like Costco, which specializes in warehouse deals.
According to Amazon’s press release, the pricing for the new membership model is determined by the number of users on the business account. The base price starts at $499 for a company with about 10 users and $1,299 for businesses with 100 users. The most expensive is $10,099 for companies with more than 100 users.
Amazon Business makes purchasing easy! And now w/ Business Prime Shipping, everything is delivered faster and FREE! https://t.co/Rqv4O4NPqr pic.twitter.com/Sj5E9yFGpO
— Amazon Business (@AmazonBusiness) October 24, 2017
Once a company signs up for the program, all the employees or users will be notified through email about the benefits they are entitled to. New users added to current Amazon Business accounts will also be automatically enlisted in the program.
Greg Greeley, VP of Amazon Prime, said the company is excited to introduce the new shipping program and described it as combining the vast selection of products open to Amazon Business clients with the convenience and speed that Prime is famous for. He also assured customers that the company would keep innovating to ensure easier business purchasing.
Amazon Business was launched in the US in 2015 and was later introduced to countries like Germany and the United Kingdom. The service was recently expanded to include Japan and India.
Aside from the usual benefits offered to Prime subscribers, Amazon Business provides other features big businesses need, like being able to compare offers between sellers, exclusive pricing on more than 5 million items, bulk discounts, integration with 30 or more purchasing systems, and reporting and analytics.
Amazon did not reveal when the new shipping program will expand beyond Germany and the US.
Companies can also sign up to try out Amazon’s Business Prime Shipping for free for 30 days.
[Features image via Amazon]