What Amazon Buy with Prime Change Means for Shopify Sites

Amazon is expanding its Buy with Prime program to U.S.-based merchants by the end of the month. The company announced this week that the program, which has previously been invitation-only, would officially launch to all sellers across the United States on January 31. 

Buy with Prime lets retailers add Amazon’s payment and fulfillment services to their sites.  The national launch comes with expanded features. Online merchants can use Amazon's payment and delivery services and also be able to display reviews from Amazon customers on their products.

Brent Reader, Director of Technology and Web Development for BOLD, noted the ability to display syndicated reviews is exciting, but integration may not be as simple as it appears.

"The service will allow syndication, but not their own means of review collection and management yet, Reader said. "So it will be up to review apps to integrate Amazon's feed so that those reviews appear among those they collect themselves."

These limitations may be even more significant for brands using Shopify.  In September, CNBC reported that Shopify warned its users that installing the Buy with Prime badge violated Shopify terms of service. 

So how could a Shopify site potentially use the service?  

"With Buy with Prime expanding, we will see what Shopify will accommodate and how long it takes review management apps like Yotpo to act," Reader said.  "From a technical aspect, it could be a wait-and-see for how it works with your existing apps and services." 

"Until then, Amazon reviews may have to live in their own section on the product detail page, outside a review app's ecosystem."

While time will tell on seller adoption and Shopify restrictions, it is a solid move to take on growing competition from Shopify and create a new source of recurring revenue for Amazon.  In the announcement, Amazon noted that DTC sites using Buy With Prime enjoyed 25% higher conversion rates.   And that's only good news for brands, Reader pointed out.

"I would think for brands selling on Amazon, there is only upside. It might siphon some business off DTC but then make up for it with a higher conversion ratio." Reader said.  "From an omnichannel perspective, what's good for the goose is good for the gander."

Do you have questions about how your brand can use the expanded Buy with Prime program? 

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