E-commerce companies Amazon and Flipkart are moving beyond aggregation by opening up their logistics services to sellers not using their platforms. This is an interesting move by the two platforms as it will support and drive growth in sales outside of their platforms. While Amazon has introduced its Buy with Prime service to sellers in the US, Flipkart's internal logistics arm eKart is now open to all Indian merchants. What is Amazon's Buy with Prime? Amazon US on April 22 announced that Buy with Prime will allow US-based Prime members to shop directly from third-party online stores (instead of on Amazon) but avail the Prime delivery benefits such as fast, free delivery, an easy checkout experience, and free returns on eligible orders. Buy with Prime will initially be available to select merchants using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) but will be rolled out through 2022 to those not using FBA, Amazon said. The service is designed to work with most online stores, including e-commerce service providers such as BigCommerce, Amazon added. Basically, merchants can add a Buy with Prime button on their check-out page and allow Amazon to take care of all the processes after that. “Allowing merchants to offer Prime shopping benefits on their own direct-to-consumer online stores is an exciting next step in our mission to help merchants of all sizes grow their business—whether on Amazon or beyond. With shoppers purchasing directly from merchants’ online stores, Buy with Prime will allow merchants to build customer relationships and brand loyalty while offering conversion-driving…
