If you have been shopping from Amazon, or other e-commerce sites for that matter, you must be aware that everyone has a minimum order value which they have set which needs to be exceeded in order for you to avail the free shipping on orders. As an upsell, Amazon started its Prime program which does not have any minimum value which needs to be purchased in order to get free shipping as every order is shipped for free to Amazon Prime customers. For those who are not willing to pay Amazon $139 in the US for its Prime program, they will now have to purchase items worth $35 in order to get free shipping. For orders below $35, Amazon’s non-Prime customers will be charged a shipping fee. It is worth noting that this amount was $25 previously but we can see that Amazon is testing this new increased minimum order value.
Amazon spokesperson confirmed that they are testing this change and said that “We continually evaluate our offerings and make adjustments based on those assessments”. “Prime members continue to enjoy free delivery on over 300 million items, with tens of millions of items available for free same or one-day delivery.” which is basically saying that if you need free shipping and faster delivery then subscribe to our Prime program or else buy products worth $35 or more and get them shipped for free.
One reason why Amazon is testing its raise in minimum order value is also to “push more shoppers to sign up for the Prime membership program, which includes free, two-day delivery; access to streaming services; and other perks”. However, it is also worth noting that $139 per year for the Amazon Prime program in the US is a lot more than what it is in other parts of the world. Having said that, you do get Amazon Prime Video along with it which gives you access to millions of hours worth of content included with the subscription. Do note that Amazon increased its minimum order value earlier in 2016 when it raised them to $49 but later decreased it to $35 and eventually $25 to compete with Walmart’s minimum value at that time.
