Photo by appshunter.io on Unsplash
Steve Madden has become the latest brand to add a Buy with Prime button to its website.
Amazon Prime members shopping on SteveMadden.com gain Prime’s promise of fast and free delivery, easy returns, 24/7 shopper support, and a convenient checkout experience.
“We've always believed in moving fast, and there's no better partner than Amazon for that,” said Steve Madden, founder, creative & design chief, in a statement. “Plus, stepping over their boxes every day on my way to the kitchen made it clear that it was time to team up and make it official.”
Under the setup, Prime members can click on the Buy with Prime button on the product page of an eligible item on SteveMadden.com. Customers using Buy with Prime for the first time must first log in and verify their Amazon account information. They are then sent to the brand’s checkout page, which has been automatically populated with their preferred delivery address and default payment method from their Amazon account.
Once the purchase is made, Amazon handles the order delivery. Post-purchase, Prime members can view, manage, and track their Buy with Prime orders from their order confirmation email or in their Amazon account.
One downside is items eligible for Buy with Prime are limited to the styles held in Amazon’s warehouses, although more selections are being added in the coming weeks.
Buy with Prime launched in April 2022 as a way to extend the benefits of Prime to sellers “beyond Amazon,” with some seeing the launch as a response to Shopify’s success.
Though the offering was initially only available on an invitation-only basis for third-party retailers using the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) hosted logistics service, the e-tailer made the service available to all U.S.-based merchants in early 2023 and invested in new features, including allowing ratings and reviews from Amazon customers to be displayed on third-party websites using the service for no additional cost.
A big breakthrough came in September 2023 when Shopify agreed to integrate Amazon’s Buy with Prime service into its app ecosystem following integration with BigCommerce. Amazon has since added cart functionality for customers, 24/7 post-order customer service support, and integration with TikTok ads.
Amazon in September said the service was driving an average 16% increase in revenue per shopper for merchants offering Buy with Prime.
“Imagine if every shoe aficionado was able to use Prime fast, free delivery while ordering the season's latest treads from their favorite brand,” said Peter Larsen, vice president of Buy with Prime and Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment, in the Steve Madden release. “That's what we're introducing with Buy with Prime launching on SteveMadden.com. Prime members can now use the shopping benefits they know and love to get the latest Steve Madden styles quick and easy.”
A Business Insider article from June 2024 citing Amazon's internal emails indicated that the rollout of Buy with Prime was underperforming expectations due to fees, friction for consumers, and concerns about collaborating with Amazon.
Amazon also hasn’t secured any larger retailers with the service likely due to similar concerns that keep many from establishing a storefront to sell directly on the Amazon platform. EMarketer reported last year, “Larger retailers are likely wary of sharing too much information with Amazon, while fulfillment and seller fees can quickly eat into profits.”