For $79 Amazon offers a year of free two day shipping. And soon it might cost next to nothing writes Marcus Wohlsen:

• Those who use Amazon Prime spend twice as much, on average, than non-Amazon prime customers.
• After adding all the extra costs of courting Prime subscribers, the average Prime member accounts for $78 more in profit than regular customers.
• Prime customers are 4% of Amazon’s total subscriber base. And this 4% is responsible for more than one third of Amazon’s profits.
• Prime subscribers likely use the service more because they’ve already invested in it, and can get their goods faster and cheaper than regular customers.

Read more about the future of Amazon Prime, its smart play in enticing college students, and more over here.

Source: Wired

Via: Newmark’s Door