The Finch Blog — eCommerce Growth at Scale

Amazon Adds 'Buy with Prime' Functionality to TikTok Ads

Written by Mike Mardis | Sep 24, 2024 5:08:59 PM


Amazon’s latest push into social commerce just took another leap forward, as the eCommerce giant expands its "Buy with Prime" feature to allow direct purchases through TikTok ads. For sellers, this means a greater opportunity to tap into TikTok’s rapidly growing and highly engaged user base, all while leveraging the trust and convenience that Prime offers. This move reflects a broader trend in how platforms and sellers are merging social media’s discovery power with frictionless, high-conversion purchasing.

“Buy with Prime and Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment continue to help sellers attract new shoppers with the convenient, fast, and predictable experience they expect from Amazon,” said Peter Larsen, VP of Buy with Prime and Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment. “Both services have seen significant growth over the last year, and we’re delighted to add to the momentum and partner with PayPal, Google, TikTok Ads, and Shopify to give brands even more options to grow their businesses.”

When Amazon first introduced "Buy with Prime" in 2022, it allowed third-party retailers using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to offer Prime members a seamless shopping experience on their own websites. Fast forward to today, and the initiative has grown far beyond that. In addition to the new TikTok integration, sellers can now run Amazon DSP campaigns, combining their Amazon listing data (product views, purchases) with their own site activity to drive remarketing campaigns across thousands of third-party apps and sites.

This hybrid approach to advertising, where sellers can remarket with Amazon data, is a goldmine for eCommerce brands looking to scale. It mirrors a larger trend of blending on-platform and off-platform data to fuel sophisticated advertising strategies. With Amazon’s DSP now giving "Buy with Prime" sellers access to this, it’s not just about driving traffic—it’s about retargeting the right customers with laser precision, whether they’re browsing TikTok, gaming apps, or lifestyle blogs.

Some Buy with Prime data highlights:

  • Buy with Prime orders surged over 45% YoY, with merchants seeing a 16% revenue boost per shopper.
  • Prime member traffic to merchant sites grew by 50% YoY as more shoppers embraced Buy with Prime.
  • During Prime Day 2024, Buy with Prime orders jumped 300% for participating merchants.
  • Over 25% more merchants now offer Buy with Prime, adding hundreds of brands like IZOD, Dollar Shave Club, and Elizabeth Arden.

Enhancements in Payments and Checkout

On the user experience front, Amazon’s continuing to sweeten the deal for both sellers and shoppers. Rolling out in 2025, Prime members will be able to link their PayPal accounts with Amazon for a streamlined checkout process. Think of this as a way for Amazon to broaden its payment options while still retaining its core Prime benefits (free, fast shipping). For sellers, this means fewer barriers to conversion—if a Prime shopper prefers PayPal, they can use it without sacrificing delivery speed.

And don’t overlook the deeper Shopify integration. With the expansion of the Buy with Prime-Shopify partnership, customers will now be able to mix and match Prime and non-Prime items in a single cart. This lowers friction for users who might want the flexibility to shop from a variety of sellers, while still enjoying Prime benefits where available. It’s a clear attempt to compete more aggressively with Shopify’s native functionality while ensuring that sellers feel less pressured to choose between Shopify’s own tools and the benefits of Amazon’s vast logistics network.

The TikTok Play: A Natural Progression

Amazon’s expansion into TikTok ads for "Buy with Prime" sellers is a strategic no-brainer. With over 150 million U.S. users on TikTok, many of whom actively shop on the platform, TikTok has become a major battleground for brands looking to reach younger, trend-driven consumers. Enabling Prime sellers to feature real-time delivery estimates in TikTok ads directly ties social engagement to purchase intent. This combination of social proof, entertainment, and instant gratification could be a game-changer for brands with younger target audiences.

This isn’t Amazon’s first foray into social media commerce, either. Back in August 2024, Amazon began enabling TikTok users to complete purchases entirely within the TikTok app via TikTok’s native ads, integrating Amazon’s product catalog and delivery systems into TikTok’s platform. While it’s too early for detailed data, expect this partnership to yield significant insights into how social-commerce-driven discovery evolves from here. Early adoption metrics suggest that ads with delivery estimates and real-time Prime benefits convert at a far higher rate than standard social ads—meaning more ROI for sellers.

What This Means for Sellers

For Amazon sellers, these developments offer a few key takeaways:

  1. Cross-Platform Growth: Amazon’s integrations into TikTok are just the beginning. The rise of social commerce is undeniable, and sellers should expect further blurring of lines between social discovery and transactional ease. Sellers who embrace these cross-platform synergies will likely be the ones who see significant growth.

  2. Data as Leverage: The ability to run DSP campaigns with Amazon and site-level data offers an advanced toolset for remarketing. Sellers who master this can achieve highly efficient ad spend, targeting users already familiar with their products and services.

  3. Frictionless Checkout: Between PayPal integration and deeper Shopify connections, Amazon is removing pain points from the checkout process—whether shoppers are on social, using PayPal, or mixing and matching Prime items.

Looking forward, expect to see more expansions into the social commerce space, where convenience, fast delivery, and a high-trust ecosystem (Prime) meet the attention economy of platforms like TikTok. If you're not already exploring these synergies, now's the time.