Instead of competing directly with Amazon (and its FBA fulfillment), Shopify seems to partner up with the biggest e-commerce rival instead. At the end of August 2023, Shopify President Harley Finkelstein announced the platform will soon support the infamous Buy with Prime feature natively on its platform.
This is a 180° change from last year when Shopify "warned merchants against using Amazon's 'Buy With Prime' service" because it violated the platform's terms & conditions. The catch is that now the Buy with Prime will be only integrated within the Shopify checkout (Shopify Payments), while previously, it could be presented on the storefront (i.e., product pages) and led customers outside of the platform.
How will the Buy with Prime work on Shopify
It's important to mention the Buy with Prime button will only be available inside the Shopify checkout, not on the storefront. Although the screenshots on Amazon's landing page suggest otherwise, the actual steps for activating the payment method clearly say it will be a part of Shopify Payments (wallets, specifically).
From the user experience point of view, the customers will be able to use the method only after they enter the checkout. You can still promote the payment on the storefront, but you need to navigate customers to your standard Shopify checkout to actually use it. However, it's still unclear whether the Buy with Prime button will also be available on the product pages.
Once a customer creates an order using BwP, all the data are still stored in your Shopify admin.
What's the benefit of offering Buy with Prime in Shopify store
The main reason is the Amazon Prime service currently has almost 200 million members (out of which 3/4 are based in the US). And by offering a payment method that is fast, convenient, and trustworthy, your checkout conversion should increase. Amazon claims up to 25% growth in the conversion rate, which is huge!
How to activate the Buy with Prime on Shopify
The BwP will be available through an official Amazon app listed on the Shopify App Store. So, you will just install the app, which will likely be free.
To add the payment button to your checkout, you also need to follow these steps:
- Install the app from the Shopify App Store
- Go to your Shopify store admin > Settings > Payments > Shopify Payments > Manage and add Amazon Pay from the Wallets section
- Connect your Amazon Seller Central account or Multi-Channel Fulfillment account
- Add Amazon SKUs to your Shopify product catalog
- Select which products will offer the Buy with Prime payment method
Please note that the actual app is still unavailable, but you can sign up here on the official interest list. It's also important to mention the service will be available only to US-based merchants who use Amazon's fulfillment and Shopify Payments.
On the other hand, the service should be available to all Shopify plans, including Basic.
When will be the Buy with Prime app available on the Shopify App Store
It's still unclear when exactly the Amazon's app will be released. The only available timeline from Shopify says "soon."
Conclusion
It's great to see Amazon and Shopify supporting each other, as it seems like a win-win situation. Store owners will get more customers, and customers will go through a seamless and familiar checkout experience.
By the way, there is now also a great way to sell your Shopify products on Amazon using the Shopify Marketplace Connect app.
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