Bezos Says Heavy Prime Users Are Not a Cost, But a Demand Signal

Jeff Bezos reflected on the design of Amazon Prime, stating that the finance team was initially concerned that free two-day shipping would be overwhelmed by heavy users. However, these "most expensive customers" appeared first, proving that the market's demand for fast, free shipping had been long suppressed.

He used a buffet analogy to explain that the real big eaters rushing in are not a system flaw, but rather the strongest demand signal; Prime's ultimate success is due to these high-frequency, high-cost users validating the essential need for the service.

Bezos emphasized that the customers who seemed most intimidating in the early days often indicated that the company was on the right track with its product. Heavy usage is not being "taken advantage of," but rather a genuine market feedback on the value proposition.

Source: Public Information