Two freshly delivered Amazon boxes are seen on a counter in Golden, Colorado August 27, 2014.
Two freshly delivered Amazon boxes are seen on a counter in Golden, Colorado August 27, 2014. Reuters/Rick Wilking

Amazon has started offering free shipping on small items even without a minimum order, or a subscription to Amazon Prime membership program but the products should weigh less than eight ounces, according to reports.

A report on CNET quoted Amazon’s spokesman saying, “Thousands of products weighing less than 8 ounces will ship for free through the e-commerce company's new "Small and Light" program.” The items will be delivered within three to eight business days as opposed to free the two-day delivery offered to Prime subscribers. For non-Prime subscribers, a free two day delivery requires a minimum order of $35, reports CNET.

Amazon Prime subscribers get free two-day shipping on a wide range of products, unlimited photo storage, Amazon Prime Music, Prime Instant Video, Kindle Owners’ Lending Library and Kindle First, reports Forbes.

With the free shipping option, Amazon.com will be able to lure many budget conscious buyers and consumers might be inclined to take a final decision on the sales of the products after knowing more about the ‘free shipping option,’ says the Forbes report.

Delivery Programs Offered By Other Companies

Among the other companies offering various delivery programs are Walmart that is testing its $50 per year unlimited shipping service, eBay that is trying out its buyer loyalty program in Germany and a startup named Jet.com that is planning to offer a member focused online marketplace, reports CNET. Apart from Google that is working on its Express shipping service Uber, Instacart and Postmates are also aiming to compete in this space, as per the CNET report.

According to data shared by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) via CNET, at the year end 2014, Amazon Prime had 40 million US members as compared to an estimated 29 million at the end of the third quarter. As per CIRP estimates, the average Amazon Prime customer spends $1,500 per year compared with $625 for nonmembers, CNET reported.

According to the Forbes report, Amazon also announced a new same day delivery service to Prime subscribers of over one million items. However, those orders must total to more than $35 and should be placed before noon for the delivery to happen on the same day.

For feedback/comments, mail the writer at pragyan.ibtimes@gmail.com

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