Amazon is bringing Prime-speed shipping to checkout pages that aren't Amazon's.
Independent brands using Amazon's fulfillment network can now list Prime delivery as a standard shipping option at checkout. Shoppers don't need an Amazon account. They pay with Apple Pay, Shop Pay, or a regular credit card, and their Prime membership gets verified after the order goes through. Merchants keep their own checkout flow, customer support, and return policies intact. Amazon is also cutting fulfillment fees by 15% to 25% for sellers who use its shipping network ahead of the holidays.
This is Amazon extending its logistics muscle into other people's storefronts instead of funneling shoppers onto Amazon.com, trading the login wall for wider reach. Amazon reports that early adopters shipped more than 40% of eligible orders via Prime, and testing partner Skinnies Instant Lifts saw a nearly 10% bump in sales, numbers that come from Amazon itself rather than an independent source. It's also a hedge against Shopify's own fulfillment push, betting that the Prime badge, not Amazon.com, is what shoppers actually trust.
Buy with Prime launched in 2022 asking merchants to hand over their checkout; this version asks for a lot less, and might get a lot more takers.