When kids smart device company Gabb activated Buy with Prime on its site in October 2023, it was looking to the solution for two key reasons: to build additional trust with its shoppers by offering a Prime shopping experience on its site, and to optimize fulfillment to keep up with shoppers’ expectations as the brand scaled.
“The biggest reason why we wanted Buy with Prime on our site—and why our shoppers choose to check out with Buy with Prime today—is for the shipping speed and efficiency,” says Dani Strong, Director of Marketplaces for Gabb. “When our shoppers are offered two options to check out, they see Buy with Prime, with Prime being a brand that they already trust and associate with free two-day shipping. So I think that’s the biggest selling point and why we’ve loved having it on our site.”
Gabb started by leveraging the Buy with Prime buy-now widget , and following the activation, Gabb saw a 45% increase in shopper conversion that contributed to a 25% revenue uplift.
The team was very excited about the results, but “knew that it could be so much more,” says VP of Marketing Russ Hannig, citing his vision of fully integrating the Prime shopping experience into its custom ecommerce site. “We worked so hard to create a rich, yet simple shopping experience on our site. So we wanted to leverage our existing customized checkout flow that was optimized for shoppers—a simple experience of selecting a device, cell plan, and accessories—but also offer the Prime shopping benefits with it.”
The Gabb team set out with the Buy with Prime API to build an integrated experience that married these two ideals. They worked closely with Gabb’s core shoppers—primarily moms looking for a safe device from a trustworthy company—to understand their needs. Russ and team are well aware that the greater cell phone industry isn’t known for fast, simple purchasing and setup, so they wanted to change that while also offering shopping benefits that Prime members already love from HAQM.
Russ shared his team’s experience with the API in a live session with Buy with Prime at NRF this year.
The final iteration implements Prime shopping benefits directly into Gabb’s optimized checkout flow. The Prime Check logo shows up throughout the shopper journey, indicating products eligible for Prime, and delivery estimates feature the fast delivery speeds. After adding items to their cart, Prime members can easily sign in to their HAQM account to verify their Prime membership and automatically populate shipping info at checkout. They enter their payment details and complete their order using Gabb’s guest checkout flow, and can track their Buy with Prime order and delivery status through their HAQM account or Gabb order confirmation. From discovery to order placed, the shopper remains on Gabb’s site and within its brand experience, and Gabb keeps customer and order data that it can use to evaluate purchasing trends and build customer relationships.
Another benefit of the API integration is that Gabb’s customer service team can activate devices while they’re in transit because HAQM provides them with each device’s unique number after an order is placed through Buy with Prime. So customers not only are getting their devices shipped in two days or faster through Prime, but also don’t have to go through the often-laborious steps of activating their device once they receive it.
The Prime shipping speeds and automatic device activation has actually helped Gabb reduce the time from completed order to activated device in hand by more than 75%. While this is a win for Gabb, it’s especially compelling for Gabb customers, who receive their orders fast—as fast as overnight for some, depending on their location—and don’t have to spend any time activating their device. Happier customers translate to fewer customer service contacts, or worse, returned devices.
“Previously it was a more difficult experience with an extra step in the activation process for customers that ended up resulting in about 15-20% of devices being returned,” Russ admits. “But now the experience is so much simpler for the customer because the device is activated in transit, reducing that friction. The 15-20% signifies millions of dollars.”
The API experience went live on Gabb.com on October 2024, so Gabb was able to continue offering Prime shopping benefits during the 2024 holiday shopping season—but through the new integrated experience. With the option to get an easy checkout and fast, free delivery, it was a hit with Prime members. Buy with Prime orders comprised 30-40% of holiday sales on Gabb’s site. That means 30-40% of site orders that Gabb didn’t have to fulfill, 30-40% of devices that arrived at doorsteps already activated, and 30-40% of potential customer service contacts that Buy with Prime Assist handled . Similar to when Gabb was using the Buy with Prime widget, the share of orders going through Buy with Prime means equivalent savings in customer service costs.
“[Because] Buy with Prime Assist is helping our customers with any Buy with Prime orders, we’re not paying for those customer service headcounts; we don’t have that hitting our books,” Dani explains. “To have that already included in the fees, and not something that we have to pay extra for, is a nice luxury in a way.”
What’s more, because Prime orders are shipped in as fast as one day, last-minute gift-givers could purchase devices just days before the holidays and still get them in time. Russ says having Buy with Prime on its site gives Prime members up to six more days for holiday shopping —and gives Gabb six more days of selling.
The fast delivery is something that online shoppers, Prime members especially, have come to expect all year long, not just during the holidays. And Gabb saw Buy with Prime as one more way to not only build more trust with its shoppers, but also keep up with their expectations of fast delivery while the brand strives to get more safe devices to more families.
“Prime gives us the opportunity to have the checkout and the fast shipping be exactly what shoppers would expect with so much of what they buy on HAQM already,” Russ explains. “So having Prime right there next to us, we know it’ll just elevate our brand. We saw that with the widget, and we’re seeing it with the integrated API experience.”
