Searches for ‘Cancel Amazon Prime’ surge 500% after announcement
Following Amazon’s announcement that it is increasing the price of its Prime subscription by £1 a month, searches for ‘Cancel Amazon Prime’ increased 537% on the 26th of July.
A new study from cybersecurity experts VPNOverview.com reveals that searches to cancel Amazon Prime subscriptions skyrocketed after it was announced Amazon is increasing the monthly cost of Prime from £7.99 to £8.99.
Amazon said the new pricing would begin from September, or at the customer’s next membership renewal date, adding that switching to an annual plan or cancellation of membership was also an option.
Amazon said the price rise, its first in the UK since 2014, was partly due to inflation, which is at a 40-year high. Other services such as Netflix have also increased subscription prices, despite signs people are beginning to cut back on streaming services.
A spokesperson from VPNOverview.com explains why people are looking to cancel their Amazon Prime subscription:
“Many people are having to cut down on expenses with the ever-increasing cost of living, meaning subscription services might have to go. Even if the price hikes are only £1 more a month, over time, this can add up and Amazon Prime users have seemingly had enough.
“Whether or not this will have a large effect on subscription numbers is unknown, but it seems that for now many Brits are having to rethink whether the service is worth it.”
Retail analyst Natalie Berg, who has written a book about how Amazon will shape the future of shopping, said the Prime price hike was “not really a surprise” after Amazon put up its prices for Prime in the US in February.
“It is an incredibly bold move to increase fees smack in the middle of the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation, but Amazon is indispensable to many shoppers and they [the company] know that,” she told the BBC.
