From our first tentative online steps, many of us have grown comfortable in our reliance on Amazon as a simple, transparent source of anything that can be legally sold to consumers, secure in the ease of 1-click ordering, confident that the door-bell ring signals the timed arrival of exactly what was ordered, with the option of returning an impulse whim almost as easily as making a purchase, and yet again seeking 10 friends to re-bore with our enthusiasm...
Whilst the price may not have always been as low as other sources, the extra convenience more than made up for the difference...
In a similar way, Unilever's recent purchase of Dollar Shave Club awakened many of us to the possibility of buying essentials on a regular basis, in order to maintain minimum domestic stock-cover, causing some of us to ponder 'if only Amazon offered a similar service' it would not only fill a personal gap, but it would most likely blow other subscription-models out of the water...
Well, Amazon's Subscribe and Save offering could fulfil that wish...but not according to an article in the New York Times.
Essentially, building on their dynamic pricing model whereby the price you pay depends on time of ordering, supply and other variables, the resulting price fluctuations - in some cases up to 170% differences, according to NYT article - Amazon are uncharacteristically going against general consumer perception that subscription means 'same price until next year'.
Whilst Amazon give the option of cancelling/modifying the repeat order, thus meeting the letter of the 'contract' with its loyal users, the very essence of Amazon-consumer relationship is based on never having to think about the 'machinery', much less second-guess our basic assumption re the contents of the tin...
Subscribe and Save, in its present form, thus provides an opportunity for a competitor to do it better...
Whilst the price may not have always been as low as other sources, the extra convenience more than made up for the difference...
In a similar way, Unilever's recent purchase of Dollar Shave Club awakened many of us to the possibility of buying essentials on a regular basis, in order to maintain minimum domestic stock-cover, causing some of us to ponder 'if only Amazon offered a similar service' it would not only fill a personal gap, but it would most likely blow other subscription-models out of the water...
Well, Amazon's Subscribe and Save offering could fulfil that wish...but not according to an article in the New York Times.
Essentially, building on their dynamic pricing model whereby the price you pay depends on time of ordering, supply and other variables, the resulting price fluctuations - in some cases up to 170% differences, according to NYT article - Amazon are uncharacteristically going against general consumer perception that subscription means 'same price until next year'.
Whilst Amazon give the option of cancelling/modifying the repeat order, thus meeting the letter of the 'contract' with its loyal users, the very essence of Amazon-consumer relationship is based on never having to think about the 'machinery', much less second-guess our basic assumption re the contents of the tin...
Subscribe and Save, in its present form, thus provides an opportunity for a competitor to do it better...
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