Amazon has launched its Prime membership program in Australia, offering free two business day delivery to nearly 90 per cent of Australians.
Prime offers subscribers benefits including free delivery on eligible products, access to movies and TV shows through Prime Video, e-books through Prime Reading, benefits for gamers with Twitch, and members-only deals.
Amazon now has over 100 million paid Prime members worldwide, with research showing members spend on average around $600 more per year on Amazon than non-members.
For marketplace sellers’ products to be Prime eligible, sellers also need to use Amazon’s warehousing and shipping service Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), which launched in Australia in February. Using FBA, sellers send product to an Amazon fulfilment centre where it is picked, packed and shipped by the e-commerce giant.
For third-party marketplace products to be Prime eligible, sellers need to use Amazon’s warehousing and shipping service, FBA.
Jamil Ghani, Prime international vice president, said Australians are being offered the most extensive set of Prime benefits at launch for any country. This includes free two business day delivery on products from Amazon Australia and free international delivery on products from Amazon US (available on Amazon.com.au).
“We are really proud to bring Australians the most extensive set of Prime benefits at launch for any country—ever. This is just the beginning for Prime in Australia, as we will keep making Prime better, adding even more selection and benefits,” Ghani said.
The Prime launch comes just a fortnight after Amazon announced it would stop Australian shoppers from purchasing from its international sites after 1 July, because of the introduction of GST on overseas orders under $1,000.
An Australian Prime subscription will cost $6.99 per month or $59 per year. Until 31 January 2019, the introductory promotional price is $4.99 a month.
Prime members will receive free expedited delivery with no minimum purchase on Amazon’s range of Prime-eligible products. Free two business day delivery is available to shoppers in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, plus regional cities. Prime members in remote or rural locations can expect four or five day shipping times.