39% of Brits are delivery pass members

About four in ten Brits (39 percent) have signed up for a paid subscription scheme or delivery pass, which means they pay a monthly fee to get free delivery and other extras. And among these schemes, Amazon Prime is the most popular paid subscription service.

So-called delivery passes are especially popular among young people. Over half (54 percent) of Brits aged 25-34 have signed up for such a subscription program. But that’s not to say it isn’t popular with older age groups. Among the over-65s for example, it’s almost a quarter (23 percent) that are members.

This is shown by recent research from Mintel. The share of Brits having signed up for such subscriptions increased from 31 percent in 2018 to 39 percent now.

Amazon Prime absolute leader among subscription schemes

And it’s Amazon Prime that is the clear leader among the paid subscription schemes that are available in the United Kingdom. Three in ten Brits have subscribed to Amazon’s paid scheme, up from 23 percent two years ago. And Amazon Prime even accounts for 79 percent of consumers who have any kind of paid subscription.

79% of British subscribers have an Amazon Prime account.

Delivery benefits are still the most popular

Amazon Prime is well known for its benefits, like access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. But according to Mintel’s research, the most popular benefits attracting consumers to paid subscriptions are still the ones related to delivery.

It looks like that 62 percent of subscription members choose free or extra delivery options, while 49 percent prefer better delivery times/slots. Free returns are the third most important option, chosen by 43 percent. The latter is now more relevant than personalized offers (23 percent) and exclusive products (also 23 percent).

Amazon Prime continues to gain popularity

“While a considerable number of new paid subscriptions have emerged, Amazon Prime continues to gain popularity”, research analyst Armando Falcao says. “Same day delivery is one of Amazon’s main competitive advantages over other online rivals, and while its competitors offer a same-day service, this is usually an extra add-on. For Amazon Prime, the attraction goes beyond fast delivery service; it is access to a vast digital library of streaming entertainment, including Prime Video, Prime Music, and Prime Reading, that has allowed it to excel.”

A considerable number of new paid subscriptions have emerged.