At the end of 2014, analysts estimated that 40 million shoppers had Amazon Prime subscriptions.
New reports from CIRP reveal that Amazon Prime subscriptions have now grown by 1 million to stand at about 41 million, accounting for approximately 42 percent of Amazon’s U.S. customer base. According to the eCommerce company, that number could have been even higher, but subscription growth slowed after customers canceled their free trial, which was offered last December.
Amazon said that 10 million Prime subscribers signed on over the holiday shopping season alone.
The company continues to remain silent on exact figures for Prime subscriptions, however, so these numbers are not definitive.
Some experts even doubt their validity. A recent article from The Motley Fool, for example, discredits CIRP’s estimates. Specifically, critics argue that the figures do not accurately add up if CIRP’s estimate that Prime subscribers each spend an average of $1,500 a year is taken in account.
While Amazon has remained secretive on its Prime traction, the company did disclose that subscription rates rose by 50 percent in the U.S. in 2014, and 53 percent worldwide. Amazon also said that it had at least 20 million users in the beginning of 2014, Motley Fool stated.
The estimates emerge only days after Walmart confirmed reports of its own eCommerce subscription service, dubbed Tahoe. At $50 a year, the service is not only aimed at strengthening Walmart’s eCommerce activities, but squarely places Walmart in rivalry with Amazon.
That competition could soon get a lot more difficult for Walmart, too. Amazon reported last week that it is increasing incentives for its merchant partners to offer Prime-eligible products. Prime members reportedly spend two to four times as much as non-Prime members.
And, regardless of the somewhat conflicting opinions on Prime’s membership numbers, Prime’s merchandise base is growing, with Prime members now having access to free two-day shipping on 33 million physical and digital products, according to an April 2015 report from R.W. Baird. That figure represents a 47 percent increase over the total number of products available to Amazon Prime members in 2014.