I swear by Amazon when it comes to running my business, and I suspect many entrepreneurs reading the title of this post know exactly where I’m coming from and are likely in the same boat. Amazon has truly changed the game for entrepreneurship when it comes to membership services like Amazon Prime and Amazon Fresh, both in the workplace and at home. This is about so much more than getting everything you need quickly, although I will admit that is a huge incentive. If you’re not already doing so, here’s why your business should start utilizing services offered by Amazon (particularly those from Amazon Business), and how they can benefit your startup.
These services are sturdy tools in a multitasker’s toolbox
How do small business owners really feel about Amazon Prime?
According to a study conducted by CNBC and SurveyMonkey, the households of small business owners are 58 percent more likely to be Amazon Prime members than the general population, which comes in at 46 percent.
Sixty eight percent of small business owners who say that Amazon has helped their businesses tend to live in households that subscribe to Prime, as well.
Most entrepreneurs tend to be multitaskers, myself included. As a CEO and mother to two sons, I know firsthand that when you wear a lot of hats, you tend to need a lot of items to do your job well. Time is of the essence, since entrepreneurs are usually in crunch mode and can’t leisurely stroll through stores for every individual item on their list. From bulk creamer for the office to items for school projects, Amazon’s services like Prime, Fresh and Business and delivery on demand are lifesavers for entrepreneurs, especially if you work or live in an area that isn’t particularly close to any major stores.
Related: 3 Steps to Launch a Subscription Service Like Amazon Prime
The big benefits to using Amazon Business
Beyond Prime and Fresh, Amazon Business also offers entrepreneurs services tailored to their small business. It’s essentially a huge marketplace that serves as a one-stop shop for supplies with free accounts available for every type of business.
Spun out of Amazon Supply, some of the big benefits users get include competitive, business-only pricing and savings on millions of items, the ability to pay in a wide variety of ways including corporate purchasing cards and even Amazon.com Corporate Credit, and fast, easy shipping. There’s even an analytics dashboard available to track and monitor your spending habits, or those of the whole company.
Sign Up: Receive the StartupNation newsletter!
The not-so-secret tax advantages available
Wait, there are tax advantages to using Amazon Business?
Yep! The Amazon Tax Exemption Program (ATEP) supports tax exempt purchases for sales sold by Amazon.com and its affiliates. For those individuals or businesses that qualify, they may use the Amazon Tax Exemption Wizard tool to guide them through the enrollment process and to upload their tax exemption certificate. Applications are generally reviewed within 24 hours to confirm enrollment or request more information. Those that are enrolled are able to apply their exemption certificate to eligible purchases when reviewing orders before purchase.
