Background

Recently Amazon Prime sent me an email regarding a price change in Amazon Prime related to Prime Video experience.

Here's the email breakdown from a perspective of the user reading with my side notes:

Subject - An update on Prime Video

Above subject line wouldn't catch my attention. I would probably think its some sort of compliance type email, and may skip it.

Dear Prime member

A bit generic, but fine

We are writing to you today about an upcoming change to your Prime Video experience. Starting June 17th, 2025, Prime Video movies and TV shows will include limited advertisements.

Perhaps some user concerns? Can I skip ads? How many Ads? How long?

This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time. We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than TV channels and other streaming services. No action is required from you, and there is no change to the current price of your Prime membership.

This is good. They put some thoughts around how to clarify that it won't be too many ads relatively

We will also offer a new ad free add-on option for an additional ₹999 699 per year/ ₹129 per month* that you can sign up for starting on June 17th 2025.

This did not flow from the previous paragraph well. Also there are some concerns from user if this is worth it or not.

There will be no other changes to your Prime membership. Prime members will continue to enjoy a wide range of shopping, savings, and entertainment benefits, including:

• Unlimited same-day delivery on more than 10 lakhs items and next-day delivery on more than 40 lakhs items on Amazon.in• Access to blockbuster and exclusive content including Amazon Original shows and movies across languages like Paatal Lok, Mirzapur, Farzi, Panchayat, Dupahiya, Call Me Bae, The Family Man, Citadel, Made in Heaven, The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, Fallout, Reacher, The Boys, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Dhootha, Suzhal – The Vortex, Inspector Rishi, Be Happy, The Mehta Boys; and latest blockbuster movies like Stree 2, Singham Again, Kalki 2898 AD, Raayan, Roadhouse, The Idea of You, Culpa Mia, Culpa Tuya, G20, Red One, Vettaiyan, Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya and many more.

• Additionally, Prime Video is the go-to entertainment hub offering customers add-on subscriptions from partners such as Apple TV+, Lionsgate Play, Discovery+, Crunchyroll, BBC Player, Sony Pictures – Stream, MGM+, FanCode, Chaupal, ManoramaMAX, Eros Now, Hoichoi, Anime Times, to name a few, and movie rentals (for both Prime and non-Prime members)

• Everyday offers, exclusive access to Prime Day and early access to other Amazon sale events

• Unlimited 5% cashback on all purchases on Amazon.in using Amazon Pay ICICI credit card

• Unlimited access to millions of songs, ad-free and millions of podcasts with Amazon Music

• Access to monthly free-in game content and benefits with Prime Gaming

• Free rotating selection of e-books, magazines and comics with Prime reading

This is not helpful honestly. It's a blob of "personalized" text that is just making me feel I don't even use all this, why am I paying more? Not helping here. Does not justify the ads, signals the opposite actually.

Also the changes is related to Amazon Prime Video, why re-iterate all these other benefits? Adds too much cognitive load for the user to see if this entire para is relevant - It's not!

As mentioned above, no action is required from you. And, as always, if you have questions about your Prime membership, you can manage your account here. You can cancel your membership and receive a pro-rated refund or view your next renewal date by visiting your account here.

Why are they planting the seed of cancelation in their heads? As I am reading this, even if I was not considering cancelling, now I might actually! Also Pro-rated refunds makes it sounds like its a compelling option to consider cancelling it!

Thank you for being a valued member of Amazon Prime.

Sincerely,

The Amazon Prime team

*You can continue to enjoy Amazon MX Player content on Prime Video. However, the content will contain ads even when you decide to take the add-free option for Prime Video.

Not relevant, this is too much detail. Also makes you feel worse that this is not included which would make it sound like not worth it. This could be part of the page where I choose the 'ad-free' option.

Now here's the same email revised applying my learnings from Product Sense Course

Subject - Prime Video will start showing limited ads — here’s why

Idea is to catch users' attention among sea of emails they usually get. Otherwise they may completely skip it.

Dear Amazon Primer,

Makes you feel special, not just another 'member'. I am not 100% sure on the word 'Primer' but for now I am good with this.

We hope you are enjoying the benefits of Amazon Prime, which includes Amazon Prime Video experience. Starting June 17th, 2025, Amazon Prime Video movies and TV shows will include limited yet meaningful ads as part of your existing plan. This small change would allow us to bring you even more beautiful stories that make you laugh, cry and sometimes be awestruck. We promise to keep the ads meaningfully fewer than TV channels and other streaming services, but we know even limited ads might feel disruptive.

Why the increase in few words that captivates the gist of it for the reader. Also the last line makes you feel Amazon empathizes with my feeling - "Yes we know you hate ads and would not want it". & sets the foundation for next para

Hence, we are introducing an add-on that allows you to continue enjoying uninterrupted viewing at a nominal price of less than a slice of cake per month (₹58/month, paid annually), starting June 17th, 2025.

I didn't call it an "ad-free" but uninterrupted viewing as that's what the user really feels about ads. I also felt the math was not easy to visualize. Added a relative math to make it sounds like that's not a lot . But Why reference of Cake? Because it's a "sweet" deal 🤗.

There will be no other changes to your Prime membership and its benefits.

If you have questions about your Prime membership, you can reach out to our support or talk to us here.

Still have questions? - We are here for you. Amazon values Customer Support, hence emphasising this

Thank you for being a valued member of Amazon Prime.

- The Amazon Prime Team

Feedback

What do you think of the original email and revised email? Any thoughts on it?

Happy to hear!