Amazon Prime Trivia | 63 facts about the subscription service

Amazon Prime is a subscription service from Amazon available in various countries.

So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the service.

1. Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon
2. The service is available in various countries
3. It gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers
4. Services include same, one or two-day delivery of goods and streaming music, video, e-books, gaming and grocery shopping services
5. In April 2021, Amazon reported that Prime had more than 200 million subscribers worldwide
6. In 2005, Amazon announced Amazon Prime as a membership service offering free two-day shipping within the contiguous United States on all eligible purchases for an annual fee of $79 (equivalent to $110 in 2021)
7. There were discounted one-day shipping rates
8. Amazon launched the program in Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom in 2007
9. In France (as “Amazon Premium”) in 2008, in Italy in 2011, in Canada in 2013, in India in July 2016, in Mexico in March 2017, in Turkey in September 2020, in Sweden in September 2021 and in Poland in October 2021
10. Amazon Prime is also available in Ireland, with plans for a major expansion in 2022
11. As of October 2021, there are Prime members in 22 countries in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific
12. Amazon Prime membership in Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, India, and the United States includes Amazon Video
13. This is the instant streaming of selected films and TV programs at no additional cost
14. In November 2011, it was announced that Prime members had access to the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library
15. This allows users to borrow up to one a month of specified popular Kindle e-books
16. People with an email address at an academic domain such as .edu or .ac.uk, typically students, are eligible for Prime Student privileges
17. Including discounts on Prime membership
18. In March 2014, Amazon increased the annual US membership fee for Amazon Prime from $79 to $99
19. Shortly after this change, Amazon announced Prime Music, providing unlimited, ad-free music streaming
20. In November 2014, Amazon added Prime Photos, adding unlimited storage of files deemed to be photographs in the users’ Amazon Drive
21. Amazon began offering free same-day delivery to Prime members in 14 United States metropolitan areas in May 2015
22. In April 2015, Amazon started a trial partnership with Audi and DHL in order to deliver directly into the trunks of Audi cars, available in the Munich, Germany area to some Audi-connected car users
23. In December 2015, Amazon stated that “tens of millions” of people were Amazon Prime members
24. Amazon Prime added 3 million members during the third week of December 2015
25. That month Amazon announced the creation of the Streaming Partners Program
26. This is a subscription service that provides Amazon Prime subscribers with additional streaming video services
27. Among the programming providers involved in the program are Showtime, Starz. Lifetime Movie Club (containing recent original movie titles from Lifetime Television and Lifetime Movie Network), Smithsonian Earth, and Qello Concerts
28. In January 2016, Amazon Prime reached 54 million members according to a report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners
29. Several reports in January 2016 said that nearly half of all U.S. households were members of Amazon Prime at that time
30. In April 2016, Amazon announced same-day delivery would be expanded to include the areas of Charlotte, Cincinnati, Fresno, Louisville, Milwaukee, Nashville, Central New Jersey, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Stockton, and Tucson, bringing total coverage to 27 metro areas
31. In September 2016, Amazon launched a restaurant delivery service for Prime members in London, England, with free delivery on all orders over £15
32. In September 2016, Amazon subsidiary Twitch announced features available to users with an Amazon Prime subscription (Twitch Prime), including monthly offers of video games and add-on content, and the ability to purchase a free subscription to a user’s channel once per-month
33. Amazon then partnered with different game developers offering in-game loots as rewards to subscribers
34. Games included with the loot rewards were Apex Legends, Legends of Runeterra, FIFA Ultimate Team, Teamfight Tactics, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Doom Eternal, and more
35. In December 2016, Amazon began offering Prime membership for an alternative monthly, instead of yearly fee, of $10.99 per month,[36] increased to $12.99 in February 2018
36. Amazon also announced Wickedly Prime, an own-brand line of food and beverages available to Prime members
37. Amazon announced Prime Wardrobe, a service that lets customers try on clothes before they pay, in June 2017
38. Also in 2017, Amazon announced the Prime Exclusive Phone program, which offers some smartphones displaying Amazon ads on the lock screen from companies including LG, Motorola and Nokia at a discount
39. In May 2018, Amazon increased the annual US Prime membership fee from $99 to $119
40. In June 2019, Amazon expanded its one-day delivery with Amazon Prime, stating that Prime Free One Day was available to U.S. members on more than 10 million products with no minimum purchase
41. On March 3, 2020, Amazon announced it installed “mini-fulfillment centers” in select U.S. cities, including Dallas, Orlando, Philadelphia, and Phoenix to reduce same-day delivery times
42. Later the same month, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime express delivery dates for various in-stock items reached delays of up to a month in the US instead of the usual 1–2 days
43. As Amazon struggled to meet exceptional demand and announced it would prioritize the most essential items
44. By the end of 2020, Amazon Prime Pantry had been discontinued in all locations
45. In February 2022, Amazon announced its first increase in almost four years for the annual US Prime membership fee from $119 to $139
46. The increase was due to higher labor and shipping costs
47. On July 15, 2015, to commemorate the website’s 20th anniversary, Amazon held its first Prime Day
48. The event is characterized by a number of sales and promotions exclusive to Amazon Prime subscribers, with Amazon initially promoting that it would feature “more deals than Black Friday”
49. The inaugural Prime Day faced criticism over the quality of the discounts offered, with many of them being tied to items not in high demand
50. Some users jokingly described the event as a “yard sale”, and Walmart also countered the event with a promotional blog post arguing that customers “shouldn’t have to pay $100 to find great deals”
51. Amazon defended criticism of the event, noting that order volume on the website had “surpassed” Black Friday sales in 2014
52. That same month, Amazon Prime announced it signed up Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, formerly of BBC’s Top Gear, to begin working on The Grand Tour for Amazon Prime Video
53. It was released in 2016
54. On July 13, 2016, Amazon Prime said customers placed 60 percent more orders worldwide on “Prime Day”
55. The 2018 edition was preceded by a concert event headlined by Ariana Grande, and streamed on Amazon Video and Twitch
56. The 2019 concert was held on July 10 ahead of Prime Day starting on July 15, and streamed exclusively for Prime subscribers, featuring Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Becky G, and SZA
57. In 2018, Prime Day first became tied to protests of Amazon and employee strikes due to the treatment of workers at its fulfillment centers
58. Supporters of these actions have urged boycotts of Amazon during Prime Day as solidarity, covering all services provided by the company and its subsidiaries
59. In 2020, Prime Day was postponed in the US due to the COVID-19 pandemic
60. It was held from October 13–14
61. In Canada, Prime Day 2020 was postponed to October 13–14
62. Prime Day was held in India on August 6–7
63. In May 2021, Prime Day was postponed indefinitely in Canada due to COVID-19