- Customers in Singapore can join Prime at an introductory promotional price of S$2.99 per month
- Tens of millions of members in 16 countries enjoy Amazon Prime
Amazon has launched Amazon Prime in Singapore just after ending free shipping* for Singapore customers ordering from the US site, making Singapore the 16th country where Amazon Prime is offered. Prime is a membership programme that provides exclusive access to benefits such as fast shipping, streaming and gaming.
This week, Singapore customers will be able to enjoy Prime benefits including exclusive access to free two-hour delivery on orders over S$40 with tens of thousands of items and unlimited free international shipping on orders above S$60 on more than 5 million items from Amazon US – all available in the Prime Now App. Prime members in Singapore will also enjoy unlimited access to popular Amazon Prime Originals like the highly-anticipated second season of The Grand Tour premiering December 8, as well as other shows, movies and more on Prime Video. They will also enjoy access to gaming benefits with Twitch Prime, at no additional cost.
“We want to make the lives of customers living in Singapore better every day. Customers in Singapore have been enjoying ultra-fast delivery with Prime Now since July, and now, the introduction of Amazon Prime will take their shopping experience to the next level,” said Jamil Ghani, VP, Amazon Prime International.
“Now with an even wider selection of international items available for unlimited free international shipping, along with unlimited access to Prime Video and Twitch Prime, this membership is designed to offer the best of Amazon. And this is just the beginning. We will keep making Prime better, adding even more selection and benefits.”
“As a Singaporean myself, Prime’s arrival to our tech-savvy city state brings me great pride,” said Henry Low, Director of Operations, Prime Now, Amazon. “Singapore is now part of a very selective group of countries who can leverage Prime benefits. I’m humbled to serve customers in Singapore and to keep expanding the Amazon services customers in Singapore can experience.”
Prime membership benefits in Singapore include:
“As a Singaporean myself, Prime’s arrival to our tech-savvy city state brings me great pride,” said Henry Low, Director of Operations, Prime Now, Amazon. “Singapore is now part of a very selective group of countries who can leverage Prime benefits. I’m humbled to serve customers in Singapore and to keep expanding the Amazon services customers in Singapore can experience.”
Prime membership benefits in Singapore include:
Free two-hour delivery with Prime Now: Following the introduction of Prime Now in July 2017, customers began enjoying two-hour deliveries of items ordered by their phone. As Prime members they will continue to enjoy those benefits as part of their Prime membership, getting fast delivery on tens of thousands of items with free two-hour delivery on orders over S$40 between 10am and 10pm daily. Items range from groceries to electronics. New brands added to Prime Now since the launch include Sunshine, Bebe Bamboo, Archipelago Beer, Kat Food, and Razer.
Free international shipping on over 5 million items: Unlimited free shipping in seven to nine business days on orders over S$60 from the Prime Now App on more than 5 million international products shipped from Amazon US. Products include a wide selection of top brands such as Leap Frog, Rubbermaid, Zojirushi, BCB Generation, The Children's Space, Pet Safe, Rebecca Minkoff, and Melissa and Doug.
Amazon Prime video: Members can stream or download Amazon Prime Originals like the second season of The Grand Tour premiering December 8, starring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May; Golden Globe-winner Mozart in the Jungle, Emmy-winner The Man in the High Castle, comedy series The Tick, Bosch, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan coming in 2018, and more, as well as other popular movies and TV shows like Fear the Walking Dead, Seinfeld, Justified, The Transformers franchise and Mission Impossible franchise. Prime members can watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Prime Video app on Android and iOS phones and tablets, selected smart TVs, game consoles or online.
Twitch Prime: Free in-game loot, like exclusive characters, boosts, and skins, in games including Blizzard Entertainment’s Hearthstone, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Origins, and Digital Extreme’s Warframe, plus full games from indie developers. Members also receive a Twitch channel subscription every 30 days, as well as ad-free viewing, an expanded set of chat emotes and colours, and an exclusive chat badge, all available at twitch.amazon.com/prime.
Free international shipping on over 5 million items: Unlimited free shipping in seven to nine business days on orders over S$60 from the Prime Now App on more than 5 million international products shipped from Amazon US. Products include a wide selection of top brands such as Leap Frog, Rubbermaid, Zojirushi, BCB Generation, The Children's Space, Pet Safe, Rebecca Minkoff, and Melissa and Doug.
Amazon Prime video: Members can stream or download Amazon Prime Originals like the second season of The Grand Tour premiering December 8, starring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May; Golden Globe-winner Mozart in the Jungle, Emmy-winner The Man in the High Castle, comedy series The Tick, Bosch, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan coming in 2018, and more, as well as other popular movies and TV shows like Fear the Walking Dead, Seinfeld, Justified, The Transformers franchise and Mission Impossible franchise. Prime members can watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Prime Video app on Android and iOS phones and tablets, selected smart TVs, game consoles or online.
Twitch Prime: Free in-game loot, like exclusive characters, boosts, and skins, in games including Blizzard Entertainment’s Hearthstone, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Origins, and Digital Extreme’s Warframe, plus full games from indie developers. Members also receive a Twitch channel subscription every 30 days, as well as ad-free viewing, an expanded set of chat emotes and colours, and an exclusive chat badge, all available at twitch.amazon.com/prime.
Adrian Lee, Research Director at Gartner, said that digital commerce continues to be strong in Singapore. He said incumbent e-commerce marketplaces should not be too worried as most of them offer same- or next-day delivery with an ever-widening selection.
"Amazon’s two-hour delivery service applies to a limited selection of ‘tens of thousands' items available in Singapore locally. Speedy and accurate fulfilment is a critical part of the customer experience. Amazon still has its work cut out, to both reduce international delivery timings, and grow their local merchant base. What’s disappointing is that existing Singaporean consumers who hold US Amazon memberships can’t transfer them to a local membership, which seems uncharacteristic of an organization that’s obsessed with providing a leading edge customer experience," he said.
The Prime subscription package in Singapore is not as comprehensive as the US package, Lee pointed out. "Prime Video was also introduced in the Singapore launch, which should prove popular as a counterpoint to Netflix locally. This is an interesting expansion of the Amazon ecosystem that has been frustrating for Singapore users who could not, up to now, access much of the programming due to licensing issues," he said.
"Notably, the absence of Amazon Echo devices on the Amazon Prime Singapore site is also surprising. I suppose we are not going to experience the ease and convenience of conversational commerce for a while still. There is no indication of Prime Music’s availability in Singapore. This is an unusual choice to 'drip' launch the full Amazon experience in a piecemeal manner."
"Notably, the absence of Amazon Echo devices on the Amazon Prime Singapore site is also surprising. I suppose we are not going to experience the ease and convenience of conversational commerce for a while still. There is no indication of Prime Music’s availability in Singapore. This is an unusual choice to 'drip' launch the full Amazon experience in a piecemeal manner."
Lee lauded Amazon's capability to reduce the delivery timings for internationally shipped items to a published seven to nine days; or in express cases with a two- to five-day delivery window. "After the shaky start with Amazon Now and its delivery difficulties**, this is a positive move forward," he said.
On the subscription fees, Lee said that promotional prices are likely to stay till Amazon is satisfied with uptake of the service. "Lazada Group already offers a similar programme with its LiveUp VIP membership with a full annual fee of S$49.90 in the first year, with free shipping with no minimum spend. Like for like, the membership fees are not comparable as local ecommerce providers ship quicker locally as their merchants are based in-country," he noted.
The same day Amazon announced that the Prime Video app is available on Apple TV 4K and previous generations of Apple TV in over 100 countries. Starting tomorrow, customers can enjoy Thursday Night Football live on Apple TV 4K and Apple TV, the company said.
*Free shipping was enabled if purchases went over a specific amount.
**Amazon Prime Now was overwhelmed by demand shortly after its launch in Singapore.
On the subscription fees, Lee said that promotional prices are likely to stay till Amazon is satisfied with uptake of the service. "Lazada Group already offers a similar programme with its LiveUp VIP membership with a full annual fee of S$49.90 in the first year, with free shipping with no minimum spend. Like for like, the membership fees are not comparable as local ecommerce providers ship quicker locally as their merchants are based in-country," he noted.
The same day Amazon announced that the Prime Video app is available on Apple TV 4K and previous generations of Apple TV in over 100 countries. Starting tomorrow, customers can enjoy Thursday Night Football live on Apple TV 4K and Apple TV, the company said.
“There is nothing that excites us more than delighting our customers, and we are thrilled for them to stream Prime Video on Apple TV,” said Mark Eamer, VP, Prime Video. “The app arrives just in time for the highly anticipated new season of The Grand Tour, which launches on December 8th, and Prime Video members streaming on the Apple TV 4K will have the exceptional viewing experience of 4K HDR.”
Apple TV owners around the world will also have access to Amazon Original Movies and Prime Originals such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel along with the upcoming premieres of Jean-Claude Van Johnson on December 15 and Phillip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams on January 12.
Apple TV owners around the world will also have access to Amazon Original Movies and Prime Originals such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel along with the upcoming premieres of Jean-Claude Van Johnson on December 15 and Phillip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams on January 12.
Details:
Amazon Prime in Singapore will be available for S$8.99 per month; for now, customers can sign up for S$2.99 per month. Prime members in Singapore can also try the free 30-day trial for Prime.
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| Source: Amazon. Infographic on Amazon Prime. |
**Amazon Prime Now was overwhelmed by demand shortly after its launch in Singapore.
