• by P.J. Bednarski  @pjbtweet, February 14, 2019

Amazon on Thursday launched Moments, a B2B marketing service that makes it easy to reward a brand’s customers with digital or physical products that will be delivered by Amazon. Essentially it sets up Amazon in the customer loyalty/rewards fulfillment business.

The pitch seems to be that Amazon makes that an easier process for marketers. Say for example, you want to reward consumers with headphones for listening to five episode of a new podcast.  Amazon would take care to see the goal was achieved, and send out the gift.

“Moments removes complexity for developers by packaging reward programs into a simple, self-service console that lets marketers set up campaigns quickly without worrying about reward sourcing, management, or fulfillment,” said Amir Kabbara, head of Amazon Moments, in a statement.

Early clients included the youth-oriented TikTok website, Sony’s digital service Crackle, Bravo, USA Today Bell Canada and The Washington Post, owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

For Amazon, it puts the company in the middle of a transaction it otherwise wouldn’t be part of, and likely helps it fortify its mobile presence.

Moments uses a price model in which merchants or brands pay only when users complete the the action that gets them toward an award.  Amazon handles all the rest, offering tracking and two-day shipping for Amazon Prime members.

In an online pitch to potential users, Amazon republishes a promotion for TikTok that offers prizes, via Moments, for users who upload videos.

“The Moments rewards catalog provides access to millions of products including some of Amazon's most popular items as well as reward packages, like plush toys, giving your customers the option to pick the plushy they like most,” an explanatory notice to businesses on an Amazon website notes.

Later it adds, “After companies choose their action or ‘Moment’ they want to drive, they can use the self-serve console to set their campaign dates, add a product or a reward package, then customize promotional messages and the reward landing page.”

The fulfillment business is due to generate $27 billion in revenue this year, and Amazon is no stranger. Its Fulfillment by Amazon operation is already in the business of serving smaller clients delivering goods customers ordered. The website Financesonline.com gave it its  top ranking for 2019, touting Amazon's logistical and technical expertise.