Amazon.com Inc. has made Login with Amazon, a service that lets consumers log in to web sites using their Amazon account credentials, available to web site operators, including e-retail sites. App and game developers also can use the service.

The e-retailer, No. 1 in the new Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, already lets consumers use Login with Amazon on shoe and apparel site Zappos.com and daily-deal site Woot.com, both Amazon subsidiaries. Amazon says 40% of new consumers to Zappos.com log in with their Amazon credentials rather than create a new account there. 

E-retailers that want to include Login with Amazon must go through Amazon’s Marketplace screening process, which includes supplying Amazon with information like business name and URL, an Amazon spokeswoman says. They do not have to be a marketplace seller.

She says Amazon does not receive any information about what consumers do on outside web sites or apps—such as what products they browse—after the consumer signs in. She says consumers, however, can opt to share some Amazon account profile data—their names, e-mail addresses and ZIP codes—with sites that use Login with Amazon. Login with Amazon does not give consumers or retailers access to stored Amazon account data, such as payment card information or shipping details.

Retailers and developers pay no fee to use Login with Amazon. Amazon says adding the service to a site should take developers a “matter of hours.” Amazon says it is making Login with Amazon widely available to make online shopping more convenient for its customers.

“Login with Amazon enables app developers and web site owners to leverage Amazon’s trusted sing-in solution, allowing them to focus on providing a great experience for their customers,” says Michael Carr, vice president of Amazon e-commerce services. “Amazon customers now have a hassle-free way to quickly and securely sign-in to apps, games and websites, without having to remember yet another password.”

Login with Amazon adds another layer to what consumers can use to log in to web sites. Numerous e-retailers have added an option that lets consumers log in with their social media credentials, such as their Facebook usernames and passwords. 37 of the merchants ranked in Internet Retailer’s 2013 Social Media 300, including specialty retailer Fab.com and home décor retailer One Kings Lane, offer social logins  on their e-commerce sites. The Social Media 300 measures online retailers by the percentage of traffic to their sites that comes from social networks.

Social media login technology vendor Janrain says its clients can employ Login with Amazon on their sites for consumers who want to sign into site with Amazon credentials. “Amazon is considered one of the most reputable companies in the U.S. and personifies trust for online shoppers,” said Larry Drebes, CEO of Janrain. “This [creates an] opportunity for our retail and e-commerce clients to facilitate trust from consumers who are comfortable using their Amazon identity in an ecommerce context.”

A workshop entitled “Amazon and Me” takes place June 4 as part of the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition in Chicago.

 

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