iOS users can finally purchase Amazon Prime Video content in-app, significantly improving the user experience.
The Verge was the first to notice the change, and confirmed the prices for content did “not appear to have been raised to account for the 30 percent fee, as some platform owners like Spotify have done in the past. It was not immediately clear whether Amazon reached a deal with Apple or whether it is indeed deciding to pay the full cut.”
In a statement to 9to5Mac, however, Apple confirmed it was an “established program for premium subscription video entertainment providers to offer a variety of customer benefits,” including “the option to buy or rent movies and TV shows using the payment method tied to their existing video subscription.”
While Apple calls it an “established program,” when it was established remains to be seen. Logic would dictate that if this program had been available all along, Amazon would have taken full advantage of it from day one. Instead, iOS users have had to purchase content via their web browser or other method, rather than in-app. As any marketer will attest, the more steps in a process, the less likely someone is to follow through with a purchase.
Whenever this “established program” went into effect, it’s good news for Amazon and similar services. It is also good for customer ease-of-use, although it’s probably safe to say there’s about to be a lot more impulse movie and TV show purchases.
