Small Business Benefits with Amazon Business Prime

There are plenty of different Business Prime plans that fit all kinds of organizations. Business Prime leader Mark Brinton and Chris Brown, General Manager, B2B Cobrand Payments cover the plans and perks.

Personal versus Business Accounts

What’s the difference between Amazon, Amazon Business, Prime and Business Prime?

• Amazon and Prime:

Amazon probably doesn’t need much of an explanation, and if you’re a customer, it’s likely that you are a Prime member as well. Members get free shipping and other benefits like Prime Video and Amazon Music.

• Amazon Business:

Amazon Business was created just for businesses. Once you create an account, you get access to exclusive business-only pricing on select items and account features like a convenient mobile app. You are also now separating your work and personal purchases, which can make things like budgeting and doing your taxes easier. Not a bad deal, right?

• Business Prime:

Business Prime is a membership program designed for Amazon Business customers. Benefits include fast, free shipping on eligible items, access to survey and analytics tools, and more.

Find the Right Business Prime Plan

There are plenty of different Business Prime plans that fit all kinds of organizations. For small businesses, we recommend either the Duo or Essentials plans, as these are designed with the solopreneur or growing business in mind.

Business Prime Duo

Duo was designed for business owners who want the best of Amazon Prime at home and at work. Prime members get Duo free. Customers with a Prime account will use a different email to sign up for a free Amazon Business account, then will link those personal and professional plans. In addition to keeping your digital and household benefits like Prime Video on your personal account, you’re adding even more perks through Business Prime Duo on your professional one. We’ll get into that in a minute. 

Business Prime Essentials

Essentials takes things up a notch. This plan works for members who want to add up to three users on their account, and introduces new benefits like Guided Buying and Spend Visibility, which give customers a better view into their team’s buying behavior. More on Essentials below 

Get to Know Business Prime Duo

• You get the same fast, free delivery you know from Amazon Prime. Duo takes this up a notch with predictable delivery dates and convenient business shipping. This means you can choose that days that work best for you to receive orders. You can also consolidate shipments for less boxes and packaging, and get free pallet delivery on eligible items.
• Another benefit geared toward the small business owner comes via our third-party partner, Delighted. As a Duo member, you can deploy surveys and gain valuable insights into what customers want from your business or like about it.
• Finally, as a Prime customer, you’ll be eligible to apply for the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card. Details on that below. Terms and conditions apply.

Let’s take a look at an example of how customers use Duo.

Putting Business Prime Duo to Work

We created a persona to illustrate the benefits a user can take advantage of with a Business Prime Duo membership. Let’s say there is an owner of a restaurant, we will call him “CJ,” and let’s call his restaurant “Lunch is Served.” CJ is the type of customer who has been a Prime member for years. He’s someone who has bought a lot for his business with using Prime. This is the type of customer who might have heard about the benefits of Amazon Business and Business Prime, so he decides that he wants to create a free Amazon Business account, and signs up for the Duo plan.

For starters, a customer like CJ might save $500 per year thanks to fast, free shipping. With that extra money, he may choose to invest it back into his business. Duo members like CJ may also take advantage of the free surveys offered as part of the plan. As a result, maybe he learns something new about his customers — like the fact that they prefer more vegan options. Thanks to that insight, he’s since added some new things to the menu. Finally, Thursdays might work best for a customer like CJ to receive deliveries. That’s why he might chose that as his “Amazon Day.” Planned delivery days help busy business owners add some predictability to their hectic schedules and get supplies in when they are needed the most.

Amazon Business Prime American Express Credit Card

When it comes to making the most of your business transactions, using a credit card can be a powerful tool. Sometimes, you may want to earn rewards. At other times, when cash flow is tight, extended payment terms may be exactly what you’re looking for. No matter the situation, this Card has you covered. With the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card and an eligible Prime membership*, you can take advantage of 5% Back or 90 Day Terms on U.S. purchases at Amazon Business, AWS, Amazon.com, and Whole Foods Market^‡.

Credit Card Benefits

• Simplify expense reconciliation
  • Gain deeper insights on purchases and separate business expenses to simplify expense reconciliation. With enhanced data views, you can see Amazon Business purchases listed item by item in an easily downloadable file from your online statement.‡
• Improve cashflow
  • Take extra time with extended payment terms to make payments on U.S. purchases at Amazon Business, Amazon.com, AWS, and Whole Foods Market. Purchases made using Payment Terms will not count towards the $120,000 cap.‡
• Purchase with confidence
  • Shop confidently with the help of Purchase Protection♦︎ from American Express. This helps protect Covered Purchases for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged.
• Use Amazon Shop with Points
  • Earn rewards that don't expire, so you can use them on your own time. Save on items at checkout on Amazon Business (U.S.) and Amazon.com, or apply towards a purchase on your statement.‡

Learn more about the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card.

♦︎‡Benefit Terms
*See a full list of eligible Prime memberships

Get to know Business Prime Essentials
As your business grows, Business Prime grows with you. That’s shown by the layering on of benefits we see here with Essentials. These plan members get all the benefits of Duo — the fast, free shipping, consolidated deliveries, and access to the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card.

• And in addition, the plan adds on access to Spend Visibility, Guided Buying and free document storage with Amazon WorkDocs.

Putting Business Prime Essentials to Work
Let’s take a look at an example customer persona we’ve created to show the benefits of Business Prime Essentials. Our next persona is “Rose,” and she’s the owner of a growing phone and computer repair shop, with big plans to expand her business to multiple locations.

• Spend Visibility: Someone like Rose might be a big fan of the added tools they get through Essentials. First is Spend Visibility, which members can use to get into the weeds and identify trends in their purchasing behavior. Someone in Rose’s position can add up to three readers to their account — for Rose, this is just enough for her new location managers. With this new visibility into her team’s spending, the group can make smarter buying decisions.
• Guided Buying: Next, Rose is taking advantage of Guided Buying, where she can set preferred and restricted products and sellers. This way, her buyers at other locations don’t have to question whether they’re making the right orders. Instead, those rules are laid out in front of them, saving plenty of time for the team, as well as keeping it compliant with company goals.
• Amazon WorkDocs: Finally, because our example business owner Rose operates in both the B2B and B2C spaces, her team has a lot of invoices to track. Thanks to free document storage with Amazon WorkDocs, the Essentials plan would give her up to 250 GB to use.

Summary/Conclusion

Business Prime is a membership program that offers tools designed specifically for businesses. While Duo and Essentials are often the best fit for small businesses and sole proprietors or entrepreneurs, there are three other plans that offer even more benefits that grow alongside your business. Fast, free shipping is just the start. Customers can take advantage of convenient business delivery, access to 5% back on Amazon Business purchase in U.S., Terms and cap apply, and more. 

Amazon Business Small Business Summit 

Check out other small business sessions presented at the Amazon Business Small Business Summit 2023 and Amazon Business Small Business Summit 2022.