Amazon Business is a central hub that brings together a vast network of suppliers and discounted products for business customers looking to buy or sell online.
Amazon Business Prime members are given access to deals and features that help to manage cash flow and business expenses.
With the upcoming Amazon Prime Day on 13-14th October, you may be interested in having your business products listed as part of the hundreds of deals available. You can read our article on Amazon Prime to find out more.
You’ll need to set up an account before then to make the most of this, so here we detail all you need to know about Amazon Business and how it works.
What is Amazon Business?
Amazon Business is a free account for businesses to make purchases from suppliers on Amazon at low costs. It also provides a B2B marketplace for businesses of all sizes to list their products.
It’s packed with features and benefits that are tailored to businesses such as automatic VAT invoicing, business pricing and quantity discounts and invoice payments.
The free account gives users the opportunity to browse a wide range of products that when bought in bulk will be sold at discounted prices.
How does Amazon Business work?
You must have a registered account to access the benefits of Amazon Business. Once signed in, you’ll be able to see all the available items under Amazon Business – it is different to just browsing directly from the Amazon site, although very similar.
To create an account, go to the Amazon Business site.
Next, select ‘get started’ in the top right corner.
Click ‘create your Amazon account’ in the tab that appears below login details.
Finally, fill in the required information.
Amazon will request your business information to verify it. This will take up to 24 hours and then you can begin using Amazon Business.
The administrator will also be able to add authorised users that will be able to access the account, make purchases and manage payment methods.
What are the benefits for small businesses?
As a business seller, you might be able to qualify for tax exemption under the Amazon Tax Exemption Program (ATEP). You can apply using a tool that will confirm whether you are eligible for the programme or not.
If you are eligible for it, you will be given the opportunity to apply your tax-exempt status to some of the purchases you make from Amazon or affiliate sellers.
Finally, it also provides an analytics dashboard to give an overview of the supply chain process for new businesses.
What is Amazon Business Prime?
Amazon Business Prime is a paid subscription for Amazon Business customers to access free shipping on over 100 million items, along with other benefits.
The subscription also includes a guided buying feature for administrators to set preferred suppliers and suppliers, as well as the ability to allow or restrict certain employees on the account from placing orders.
Other features include unlimited spend visibility for visualised reports and member-only offers, such as 60% off Xero accounting software for 12 months.
Business Prime is available for £80 a year. Also, check out our article on how to sign up for Amazon Prime.
What is the difference between Amazon Business and Business Prime?
You need to have an Amazon Business account to access the Business Prime subscription. In essence, Business Prime gives business customers access to free shipping, discounts and member-only offers.
Amazon Business, on the other hand, is the marketplace that serves the procurement needs of businesses. This includes bulk purchasing and seller listing capabilities as well.
Author: Hannah Williams, Small Business Editor
Hannah is Small Business Editor. She writes news, tutorials and buying advice tailored to very small companies, covering software from Excel to Sage and hardware including laptops.