Should charities promote Amazon Smile?

In a recent survey 42.1% of respondents highlighted their use of Amazon has increased since the outbreak of Covid-19. But what many don’t realise is that they can raise money for their chosen charity with their Amazon orders. All Amazon Customers have to do is go to https://smile.amazon.co.uk and select the charity of their choice to benefit from their purchases. So should charities promote Amazon Smile?

Are Amazon customers aware of Amazon Smile?

I wanted to see exactly how many Amazon customers were aware of Amazon Smile and already used this service. So, this August I ran a 3 day survey to get some user feedback. In total the survey got 115 responses and ran from 20th – 23rd of August 2020.

Approximately a third of Amazon customers that responded stated that they already used Amazon Smile. 33% of Amazon customers stated they were unaware of Amazon Smile. This represents a huge opportunity for charities.

So, Should Charities promote Amazon Smile?

With the high liklihood of Covid-19 being around for sometime to come, it is a fair conclusion that more people will turn to services like Amazon as the Winter Months and Christmas approach. Taking this into consideration with the added fact that nearly all charities are seeing a huge drop in their income streams, Amazon Smile could help soften the blow a little for some charities.

For customers who have enabled Amazon Smile and selected their chosen charity, 0.5% of the net purchase price will be donated by Amazon. Put another way 50p in every £100 (net) spent. Although this might not seem a lot, it can soon add up and pay for some vital services.

A recent report by Big Commerce found that the average Amazon Prime Customer spent $1,400 (£1065) annually. This would add up to roughly a £5 donation per Amazon Prime Customer per year. According to a recent Guardian article Mintel estimated there are 15 Million Prime subscribers in the UK. Based on both figures that mean a potential of £75 million per year can be raised for charities through Amazon Smile in the UK. That also does not include non-prime Amazon Customers.

Summary

With the uncertainty of possible lock down’s and further restrictions, combined with the large reduction in fundraising income, Amazon Smile could certainly help to replace some of the lost income. With the winter months approaching, shortly followed by Christmas, I think charities could benefit from highlighting Amazon Prime to their supporters.

Thank you for reading I would love to get your thoughts in the comments section below.