Amazon Prime launched in India

Shopping on Amazon India just got a whole lot better! Three years after it arrived in the country, the e-commerce giant has now introduced Amazon Prime in India. The highly popular membership service, which has long been available in other countries, such as the US and UK, guarantees unlimited one-day and two-day delivery without any limit on the minimum order size, among other features.

Amazon’s closest competitor in India, Flipkart also offers free fast deliveries, discounted one-day deliveries, early access to deals, and special member-only deals through a similar service called Flipkart First for an annual membership fee of Rs 500, and with Amazon hoping to get a leg up on the competition, this move certainly makes sense.

To further sweeten the deal, Amazon India is offering Prime members 30-minute early access to flash sales, and exclusive access to some deals on its website. This is certainly a big deal, given how often Amazon runs such flash sales, and the continuous deals the company has on offer.

Considering that Amazon India charges an average of Rs 49 for two-day delivery and Rs 99 for next day delivery, the deal appears quite lucrative. Amazon Prime members in India can also get same day delivery for just Rs 50 instead of paying the current charge of Rs 150, but this is available only in select cities so far, including Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad.

However, becoming an Amazon Prime member doesn’t mean that every product that is listed will be eligible for these benefits. For now, apply only to Amazon fulfilled products and other eligible products will be marked with an Amazon Prime logo.

Amazon Prime in India will eventually be priced at Rs 999 (~$15) a year, which is actually much lower than what Amazon charges for the same service abroad. Then again, Amazon Prime members abroad also enjoy access to content, including Amazon Video and Amazon Music, which offer unlimited video, music streaming, ebooks and photo storage for a monthly fee of $10.99 (about Rs 740) or $99 (about Rs 6,700) annually. Not to worry though, as access to Amazon Video will follow shortly, which means you can still look forward to accessing Amazon’s exclusive video content, which includes popular TV shows and hit Hollywood movies.

If you are someone who uses Amazon a lot, and generally opt for the faster delivery services, the Prime service will certainly be a huge benefit in the long run. If you are still hesitant however, you do get to avail a free trial for 60 days, following which, you can subscribe to the service for just Rs 499 (~$7.5), which Amazon is offering as an introductory offer. You can find the sign up page for Amazon Prime here.

Let us know in the comments below if you plan to subscribe to Amazon Prime!