When it comes to value, few services can compete with Amazon Prime – a be all, perk-filled solution that encompasses everything from free music and video streaming to low cost book buying. It now appears as if Prime wants to play a bigger role in merchant fulfilled sales by purportedly offering free shipping if you use AmazonPay and/or Prime enrollment as a means of paying for your orders. Here’s the message we received from Amazon earlier today that supports this claim:

“According to the Baymard Institute, 48% of shoppers abandon their carts because of additional shipping fees, and 22% of shoppers abandon carts because delivery is too slow

Why not add Prime shopping benefits like fast, free shipping to help reduce your cart abandonment rates. Merchants like you are offering customers a trusted, familiar checkout as well as the fast, free delivery experience they’ve come to expect.

Delight your customers — both new and returning — with 1-2 day shipping, free returns, and an easy checkout.”

Needless to say we are very interested in learning more about this upcoming program, particularly if it increases sales for us while simultaneously reducing– or even wiping out — shipping costs for our customers. We’ve already signed up to hear more about this new program and will certainly share the news with our clientele as soon as Amazon explains how the program will work and if the costs are in-line with the benefits. Stay tuned.