The Hollywood Reporter writes that in advance of next month's Prime Day, Amazon "is getting a head start on the deals by offering its lowest price yet for a Prime membership.
"New users can get a generous 30-day free trial to Amazon Prime, which lets you test out all the Prime member benefits for a full month without paying.
"Amazon’s latest offer also hopes to get lapsed Prime members back into the fold, with a weeklong subscription discounted to just $2. A monthly Prime membership normally costs $15 (or about $3.75 a week), so the new Prime membership deal saves you a buck and some change.
"After that week is up, pricing goes back up to $15 per month. Consumers can choose to continue at the regular rate or cancel the subscription … Another Prime membership offer: Individuals who receive SNAP, Medicaid or other qualifying government assistance can save more than 50 percent off the subscription price with Prime Access."
At the same time, Amazon Business, the Amazon B2B procurement store, "announced that Business Prime Duo, previously $69 per year, is now free for Amazon Prime members who also purchase for businesses. Business Prime Duo is an Amazon Business membership that helps small-business owners by bringing together business buying tools and access to business-only pricing on select items, alongside fast, free business delivery. Now small-business owners can access Business Prime Duo as part of their Prime membership—at no additional cost—alongside the savings, convenience, and entertainment benefits they already know and love from Prime."
- KC's View:
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There's no trickery involved here - I think - but it is interesting that at a time when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is suing Amazon over its Prime tactics - saying it lures customers in and makes it hard for them to get out - Amazon is coming up with new ways to grow Prime memberships.
This makes sense, since Prime members spend so much more money on Amazon than non-members, but it does feel a bit like waving a red flag in front of a bull.
