This month Amazon announced that coming this May, Kindle Fire will accept virtual currency in the form of Amazon Coins. Amazon Coins was created to encourage Kindle Fire users to purchase apps, games, and in-app items via the Amazon App store. How will they encourage Kindle Fire users? Well, when the service launches in May, the e-commerce giant will give away tens of millions of dollars worth of free coins to get Kindle Fire users started.
How the Virtual Amazon Coins Work
Each coin is worth one cent, so for an app that costs $3.99, you will pay 399 coins. Customers will buy the Coins through their Amazon account, allowing purchases without the use of a credit card. Customers will still have the option of paying by credit card for purchases.
Amazon is hoping the use of Coins by consumers will trigger app developers to offer more apps and services for the Kindle Fire, which would generate more Coin use and generate revenue for Amazon, not to mention a new way of serving customers and boosting the platform and content for the Kindle Fire.
“Amazon sells its line of Kindle Fire tablets (roughly) at cost, betting that each owner will buy enough books, music, movies, and apps to make a tidy profit. With digital spending playing such a huge role for the online retailer, Amazon wants to make it as easy as possible for you to throw down for that new Angry Birds game. Jeff Bezos and company have a new approach to driving the post-purchase Kindle Fire economy: virtual coins.” (www.gizmag.com)
Will Amazon Coins Work For Anything “Amazon”?
The Amazon Coins cannot be used for subscriptions, magazines, amazon.com online purchases, Kindle books, Amazon Instant Video, or Amazon MP3 music. Amazon Coins seems limited, but I’m sure if Coins is a success for Amazon they will offer the payment option for their other online services.
Do you think Amazon Coins will catch on? Will this encourage developers to make more apps for the Amazon App Store?
