In this week’s subscription roundup, we first look at Amazon’s strategic partnership with social media platform Snapchat. Will this prove to be yet another masterstroke from Jeff Bezos? Staying with Amazon, we look at the company’s latest retail innovation: Amazon 4-star. Then we look at Netflix’s new plans to counter threat from competitors. Lastly, we look at Ford’s vehicle subscription program, Canvas.
Amazon and Snapchat enter into a strategic partnership
Retail giant Amazon has just entered into a strategic partnership with popular social media platform Snapchat. Users can now scan an image or barcode to snap a photo of any product and if it’s available on Amazon, a new card will appear which will take users to Amazon to complete the buying process. This new deal will give Amazon access to 190 million daily active Snapchat users. Incidentally, last year, Amazon also launched a
social network for Prime subscribers called Amazon Spark.
Read more
here
Amazon launches new retail store concept: Amazon 4-star
Amazon is increasingly looking at
physical store fronts after completely dominating the online space. In an interesting new move, Amazon has launched a brand new physical store in New York that will only house products that are rated 4-star or above, top sellers or new and trending items on the Amazon website. Digital price tags will show normal prices for regular customers and reduced prices for Prime customers.
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here
Netflix wants to double its original content catalogue
As Netflix faces the impending threat of big bang subscription streaming services from
Apple,
Disney and
Walmart, the company has decided to focus on its core strength - originals! Netflix has commissioned 250 originals which will more than double the number of current original content (229). Netflix will spend close to $8 billion on original content programming this year.
Read more
here
Ford Canvas road testing subscriptions
Underlining a trend that’s becoming increasingly common for the automobile industry, Ford’s subscription service Canvas is now aiming to give subscribers access to a selection of used Ford cars. Many luxury brands like
Porsche and
Mercedes Benz already offer their cars on subscription, and Ford Canvas is trying to fill a gap in this market. Ford Canvas subscription plans give users access to many cars, including the luxury Lincoln line-up, along with different mileage packages and subscription terms.
Read more
here
Also read:
Netflix teams up with Sky to deliver on-demand TV service