On Wednesday, popular electronics e-tailer Newegg launched its Newegg Premier customer-benefit program. Like Amazon Prime, the company will provide free shipping on qualified products in exchange for a yearly subscription, only without the video streaming content. This solution is also cheaper than Amazon, costing $49.99 per year, whereas Amazon charges $79 per year.
According to Newegg, membership benefits include free expedited shipping for three days or less, discounted rates on 2-day and next-day shipping, and special alerts to give members early notice of upcoming sales. The new subscription service also enables free returns with complimentary shipping and no restocking fees, exclusive deals, and a dedicated customer service telephone number.
Members will also have a custom shopping experience thanks to exclusive backgrounds and information panels.
"Newegg's customer base has grown to more than 25 million registered users. Newegg Premier's white-glove treatment offers substantial value not only to frequent customers, but also to any customer who desires a personalized, streamlined shopping experience," reads the company's press release.
Newegg customers who sign up for the Premier subscription plan by February 18 will receive a free 30 day trial.
To see if an item qualifies for Premier, simply click on the device listing and look for the button sitting next to the price. As an example, Lenovo's IdeaPad Y510P (opens in new tab) laptop qualifies for free shipping via the membership, otherwise shipping can cost between $10 and $39 USD without the membership.
How about the Seagate Barracuda 1 TB hard drive (opens in new tab) selling for $60? Shipping alone could cost between $4 and $24 USD, depending on how fast you need this drive. Thus, if you purchase more than one item on Newegg per year, the Premier membership could save you loads of money.
"We always seek ways to improve the customer experience and implementing a benefit program is the latest example of how we're making it easier and more rewarding to shop at Newegg.com," said Soren Mills, Chief Marketing Officer of Newegg North America.
To sign up for Newegg Premier, head here (opens in new tab). Does this membership sound like a good deal to you? Or is this just a gimmick to drive sales?