Amazon to Pay Your Customers $15 to Dump You
In a new promotion, Amazon will give customers a discount if they shop at its website, instead of in stores.
Got a retail business? Amazon.com is coming after you.
The online giant announced a new one-day promotion Tuesday that will offer customers up to $5 off an item bought on its website instead of in a brick-and-mortar store.
To get the deal, customers will have to use Amazon’s new Price Check mobile app to scan an item’s bar code; the app will then show how much it would cost on Amazon. And on Dec. 10, if it’s one of a pre-selected group of electronics, toys, sports goods, music, and DVDs, Amazon will give the customer a 5 percent discount, up to $5 off, one up to three items.
The move “terrifies retailers, who increasingly are feeling like showrooms—shoppers come to check out the merchandise but ultimately decide to walk out and buy online instead,” writes AllThingsD’s Tricia Duryee.
Even if a customer uploads information on a good that’s not eligible for the discount, Amazon still wins—because it can mine the uploaded pricing data to ensure it’s offering lower prices. “This is a powerful opportunity for customers to get involved and ensures Amazon customers get the best possible prices,” said Sam Hall, Amazon Mobile director, in a news release.
Amazon estimates mobile commerce merchandise volume will reach $5 billion this year, Duryee reports. And there about 67 million Americans using Androids and iPhones now, according to comScore, which tracks digital retail trends.
