Report: Amazon pilots e-commerce sites with universities

Seattle – Amazon.com is reportedly piloting co-branded e-commerce sites with three universities. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is partnering with Purdue University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of California Davis to operate the sites, which sell textbooks and T-shirts as well as other items available on Amazon.com.



On the three campuses, Amazon Student Prime members will be eligible for unlimited one-day delivery on campus. Amazon plans to eventually build on-campus distribution centers that will allow students to pick up orders either from lockers or Amazon employees. In addition, course materials will be available for next-day delivery for all students on campus, regardless of whether they are Amazon Student Prime members.



This program is presumably an attempt to erode the dominance Barnes & Noble, which operates campus bookstores at many colleges and universities across the country, holds in the lucrative college market. The Amazon agreements are non-exclusive.