Amazon Prime Day 2017: ecommerce giant extends dominance as it courts new members with day of deals
Amazon Prime Day begins at 6pm today, just as new research reveals that 37 per cent of online spend now goes through Amazon, with the ecommerce giant only set to grow as more consumers turn to online shopping.
Nearly three quarters (73 per cent) of people surveyed by ecommerce consultancy Salmon said they plan to increase their use of digital shopping channels in the future.
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This comes as Amazon launches its third Amazon Prime Day tonight, in a drive to sign up more members to the £7.99 a month premium service. Prime Day is the company’s answer to Black Friday, offering exclusive discounts to Prime members.
Two thirds of American households are already signed up to Prime, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has made it a priority to expand Prime membership overseas, with the UK among prime targets. Roughly one in five British households are already thought to be signed up.
Commenting on the rise of Prime membership, Hugh Fletcher, global head of consultancy and innovation at Salmon, said: “With companies like Tesco launching their own one-hour delivery service, we’re seeing other retailers looking to halt Amazon’s dominance.
“While many retailers are still struggling with establishing omni-channel strategies, Amazon is taking omni-channel innovations to the next level through its partnerships, delivery options and multiple interfaces, which is what retailers must do if they’re to survive.”
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