In the face of growing online delivery competition, Amazon has begun offering free shipping on small items like makeup and mobile phone accessories, without requiring a minimum order or a subscription to Amazon Prime membership program.
Thousands of products weighing less than 8 ounces will ship for free through the e-commerce company's new "Small and Light" program, an Amazon spokesman said Tuesday. The items will typically be delivered in three to eight business days, as opposed to the free two-day shipping offered to Prime subscribers. Free two-day delivery for non-Prime subscribers usually requires a $35 minimum order.
"Customers love that even if it's a $5 item, shipping is free for everybody, Prime member or not," Neil Ackerman, a senior manager at Amazon, said in a statement. "Customers love it and sellers love it."
In addition to helping attract more occasional shoppers, the new offering could help Amazon expand its tens of millions of Prime customers -- who pay $99 a year for free shipping, a streaming video library and cloud storage -- during a time when the e-commerce giant is staring down plenty of new competition.
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