Just as Engadget was hitting publish on its first posts, I was putting a freshly minted English degree to use working at an indie bookshop in Los Angeles. In seemingly unrelated news, Amazon had just reported its first profitable year after switching from selling books to selling “everything” four years before. (It still sold a lot of books.) Our bookstore did a good job keeping shelves stocked with a balance of the more worthy popular hits and smaller, better fare. But we couldn’t have every book a customer might want, so we offered to order any in-print title. If a distributor had it, it’d take about a week to get in, longer if we had to go through the publisher. That seemed fine for most customers. But sometimes “about a week” was too long. A few people came right out and said, “Nah, I’ll order it on Amazon.” In 2005, Amazon launched Prime, the membership program that, for $79 a year, gave customers unlimited two-day shipping on most orders. At launch, CEO Jeff Bezos called it “‘all-you-can-eat’ express shipping.” No one knew at the time how hungry the world was for Amazon’s brand of convenience. And now, nearly two decades later, we’ve seen the shifts that accommodate that buffet — in labor, retail and the entire customer experience. Prime wasn’t an overnight success. It’s estimated that six years after launch, just four million households paid for the service. But 10 years later, in 2021, Bezos claimed it had accrued 200 million members worldwide. Outside of that... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-03-08 14:15:57 UTC ]
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Amazon started mending its tattered relationship with the big five publishers last year, signing deals with Macmillan, Simon & Schuster and even Hachette. Now it's HarperCollins' turn to make peace with the e-commerce giant, according to The Wall Str... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2015-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is failing in its legal duties when making staff redundant, according to union GMB. Meanwhile the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against an Amazon promotion for its Prime membership service The GMB union has accused the internet giant of failing to follow... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has made its Prime Now one-hour delivery service available in Manhattan, and the service includes books. How will it impact B&N and other bookstores? The post Will Amazon Prime Now Hurt Manhattan Bookstores? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An increase in Prime membership subscriptions helped Amazon to a fourth quarter profit. The e-commerce giant has been under pressure from investors to return a good result after reporting a loss for the previous two quarters of its financial year, but shares recovered yesterday (29th January)... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For $99, Prime members get a streaming video service, ebook lending library, free two-day shipping--and starting today, a music service.Amazon is rounding out its Prime membership with the addition of a streaming music service. On Thursday the e-commerce giant launched Prime Music with more than... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Publishing plans to release more than 500 titles in the UK this year, the company's... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The cost of Amazon Prime is going up. The retail giant has announced that its membership program—which gives users free two-day shipping on most popular items as well as access to Amazon’s digital library of ebooks, movies, and TV shows—will now cost $99 per year, up from $79. Considering how... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2014-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is to increase the price of its Prime membership in the US by $20 to $99 a year. This... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon news this week includes the launch of a new German language publishing imprint, lower Kindle sales for 2013, and a hike in the price of Prime. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Analysts say the $20 bump, from $79 to $99, could add up to $1 billion to the company's revenue.Amazon Prime is a great deal. You get free two-day shipping on most of your packages, unlimited access to Amazon's growing trove of streaming movies and TV shows, and the ability to rent ebooks from... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thirteen of the top 20 19th century U.S. history books on the site share a title in common. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you're still looking for gift ideas for that special someone, Amazon is looking to lend a hand. The online retailer has announced that customers can now give a $79 one-year membership to Prime. Recipients will get an email on the day of the giver's choosing with instructions on how to get... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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There is an ever-growing list of benefits that Amazon provides for its Prime customers. For a $79 yearly fee users enjoy Netflix-like streaming video, Kindle book rentals and free two-day delivery service. The latter has only one simple drawback -- if you order an item on a Friday, you need to... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2013-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon.com's Kindle e-reader has dominated the competition in Japan since its launch last year, according to new research, showing the company's low pricing and powerful brand may have overcome its late entrance into the market. The Kindle accounted for 38.3 percent of the e-reader market in... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For long-time ebook buyers indoctrinated in Amazon's convenient ecosystem, trying to make the switch to a competitor can lead to frustration and disappointment. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Advertising Standards Authority has told Amazon it must change the wording of its Prime offer... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime's trifecta of two-day shipping, instant media streaming and monthly Kindle book rentals just became a little more consumer friendly at a slightly higher price. As a Hacking Netflix reader recently noticed, Amazon is now inviting users to buy into Prime for $7.99 a month, bringing... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Just how important Amazon’s Prime shipping offer has been to the online giant’s success can be seen in data recently compiled by the Codex Group. Last Monday, Amazon announced that Prime, which allows customers free two-day shipping for a $79 annual fee, had surpassed its free shipping on orders... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a deal with Viacom, Amazon Prime members will be able to stream TV shows from MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Spike, VH1, BET, CMT and Logo. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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