Amazon has just made a move that might make online shopping even more convenient for Prime members. If you’ve been using Amazon’s “Buy with Prime” feature, there’s a new perk on the way: the option to pay with PayPal.
Today, Amazon rolled out the news that Prime shoppers can now use PayPal to complete purchases on third-party websites that support the Buy with Prime API. Starting next year, Prime members will be able to link their Amazon and PayPal accounts. This means that whenever you use PayPal on any website, your Prime benefits—like free shipping—will automatically apply. No extra steps needed.
So, what exactly is “Buy with Prime”? Launched in April 2022, it’s a way for Prime members to shop on non-Amazon websites while still enjoying Amazon’s perks, like fast shipping. Essentially, when you see a Buy with Prime button on a store’s checkout page, you can click it, log in with your Amazon account, and check out just like you would on Amazon’s website. Fulfillment, including shipping and handling, is handled by Amazon itself, meaning brands using this feature store their products in Amazon’s warehouses.
This isn’t meant to replace other payment methods like Shop Pay or Apple Pay—it’s more of a full-service shopping experience bundled into one button. And it seems to be catching on. Amazon says the Buy with Prime feature has been growing quickly, with brands like Dollar Shave Club and IZOD jumping on board. They claim that orders made through Buy with Prime have jumped by 45% over the past year, and 50% more Prime members have taken advantage of the feature compared to last year.
However, not everyone’s fully convinced it’s all smooth sailing. Some, like Juozas Kaziukėnas from Marketplace Pulse, argue that Buy with Prime remains a bit of a niche offering. One big hurdle is that brands have to send their inventory to Amazon’s warehouses to use the service, which can be a turnoff. In fact, Shopify even discouraged merchants from using Buy with Prime on their storefronts when it first launched.
In today’s announcement, Amazon also shared a few other updates for Buy with Prime. For example, merchants can now offer real-time delivery estimates in TikTok ads, making it easier for shoppers to see when their package will arrive. Plus, there’s a new option for Shopify stores that allows customers to combine Prime and non-Prime items into one checkout.
With PayPal in the mix, Buy with Prime might become even more appealing to both brands and shoppers alike. Whether this is enough to push it into the mainstream remains to be seen, but Amazon clearly isn’t slowing down on its efforts to expand the service.
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