Retail's boldest stab at Amazon.com's
GSI Commerce's
ShopRunner was introduced just before last year's telltale holiday shopping season. It's identical to Amazon's club in that it offers free two-day shipping at Prime's $79 a year price point. However, while Amazon's deals are limited to its growing warehoused inventory, ShopRunner represents a collection of largely familiar brick-and-mortar chains.
There are more than three dozen active retailers in the program including Toys "R" Us, PetSmart
Taking on Amazon and its millions of Prime subscribers won't be easy, but at least ShopRunner is creatively trying.
This month's promo is tied to Domino's. ShopRunner subscribers will not have to pay the chain's modest delivery fee for orders placed through the pizzeria's website. Domino's is also promoting free 30-day trial subscriptions to ShopRunner and giving away three grand prizes of free pizzas for a year.
Couch potatoes will argue that Amazon's recent push to include streaming of a limited digital catalog as a benefit for Prime subscribers at no additional cost may be greater than saving a couple of bucks on pizza delivery fees, but ShopRunner isn't backing down.
Will ShopRunner dent Prime's base? I doubt it. If anything, ShopRunner will expand the audience, since its appeal will rest primarily with shoppers who already frequent the participating merchants.
This move may actually have a deeper impact in the pizza niche -- as Papa John's
Either way, ShopRunner isn't going down without a fight -- or the chance to send a Domino's driver to your door for free.
Can ShopRunner make a dent in Amazon's Prime model? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.