Amazon has decided to shut down Prime Invitee, a feature that allowed you to share a subscription with family or friends through invitations. Well, it no longer exists. And it happened without prior notice, no announcements, it simply disappeared. In its place, they launched a limited promotional offer with occasional discounts and much stricter conditions than before… Something that hasn’t gone down well with regular customers.
Ciao, Prime Invitee
This program was created to attract new customers without spending much on advertising, relying on word of mouth. If you had Prime, you could invite someone to try the service with a special rate. It was practical, easy to use, and many used it to share the Prime benefits with family or friends who lived in another city.
But Amazon has been phasing it out little by little. The official page doesn’t even exist anymore, and if you try to access it, it redirects you straight to the regular offers. There was only an update in the help section confirming that the program was coming to an end.
Apparently, the last invitations could be sent at the end of September, and since October… it’s a clean slate.
A new offer arrives (but it’s not the same)
Amazon has opted for something more controlled (and probably more profitable) with temporary promotions for new subscribers. Basically, direct discounts on the subscription fee for a limited time. No more personalized invitations or sharing your account like before.
Yes, Amazon has been changing Prime for months. They have raised prices, cut benefits, introduced ads on Prime Video… New strategies aimed at squeezing more direct profit out of each user. “It’s the market, my friend”.
Users noticed it
Of course, loyal users noticed right away. Many people used this program to share with others, it was a way to get them hooked on the service (and share costs).
That’s why there are already plenty of complaints on forums and social media. Many users feel Prime is becoming more expensive and less flexible, especially considering all the price hikes and benefit cuts that have accumulated over the past few years. What used to be a subscription full of shared perks… now is starting to feel more closed.
A more controlled strategy
It’s clear Amazon wants to maximize revenue from each user. They already have a huge customer base in the U.S., so instead of continuing to give away benefits, they’re betting on more specific promotions directly controlled by the company.
This way, they can better measure what works, prevent shared accounts that reduce revenue, and ultimately tighten the tap.
Other measures
As we said, Amazon is changing, and not just Prime. The global platform now also limits free shipping on cheap products… Fewer free “extras” more control over how and who pays. They want each subscriber to generate more revenue. Criticizable? Yes. Is it a company trying to make more money? Also yes.
When Amazon changes…
What Amazon does often sets the trend. Other streaming or commerce platforms usually watch its moves and copy the model if the strategy works, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them also removing extra benefits for users.
We have to adapt or spend more money. Fewer options to share, fewer promotions between friends… We’ll have to pay to enjoy all the perks, because Amazon wants more money, just like what happened with Netflix or Spotify.