Amazon is rolling out a version of its Prime membership programme in India, and is calling it Prime Shopping Edition. The launch comes ahead of the e-commerce giant's Great Indian Festival sale, which begins on October 8.
The Amazon logo is pictured outside the company's JFK8 distribution center in Staten Island, New York. (REUTERS)
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For Amazon Prime members, however, the sale will go live on October 7.
All you need to know about Prime Shopping Edition:
(1.) It is only for Android users and comes for ₹399 per year. It offers benefits such as free shipping, one-day deliveries, along with other shopping-related benefits that come with Prime.
(2.) However, Prime services like Prime Video, music, reading, gaming, as well as other entertainment offerings are not available with the Prime Shopping Edition.
(3.) Even on Android devices, the Prime Shopping Edition can be used on the Amazon app or web browsers.
(4.) It is, however, unclear how long the programme will be live, and if it is limited only to the Great Indian Festival.
(5.) Also, its launch comes just days after rival Flipkart introduced ‘VIP,’ a subscription model that offers customers ‘additional privileges to enhance their overall shopping experience.’ It is priced at ₹499 for one year.
Why only Android?
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According to Moneycontrol, India has more than 650 million (65 crore) smartphone users, of whom 85% people use Android devices. This, therefore, could be a reason behind Amazon launching Prime Shopping Edition only for Android users.
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According to Moneycontrol, India has more than 650 million (65 crore) smartphone users, of whom 85% people use Android devices. This, therefore, could be a reason behind Amazon launching Prime Shopping Edition only for Android users.
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