Amazon doubles minimum spend threshold for free UK deliveries
Amazon has raised the minimum spend that UK shoppers must make on non-book items in order to qualify for the free “Super Saver” delivery from £10 to £20. In an official statement posted on its website, Amazon found a rather roundabout way of saying that although policy on books was unchanged, it was doubling the threshold for all other items: “From 1 May, 2015, orders including £10 or more of books qualify for FREE Super Saver Delivery. All orders of £20 or more across any product category also qualify for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Previously, a £10 threshold applied for all orders to qualify for FREE Super Saver Delivery.”
Market observers note that Amazon is as keen as any company to reduce its costs – especially in the light of recent losses – but this move may be primarily motivated by a desire to nudge more customers to sign up for the £79-a-year Amazon Prime service. Indeed, Amazon’s announcement about the Super Saver threshold change quickly morphs into an advert for Prime, which bundles “unlimited One-Day Delivery” with unlimited streaming of the movies and TV episodes available on Prime Instant Video.
