Amazon to Make 0.5% Donation on Sales at New ‘Smile’ Site
October 31, 2013 | Read Time: 1 minute
Online retailing giant Amazon rolled out a new program Wednesday that will direct to charity 0.5 percent of the price of all purchases consumers make on a new version of the firm’s Web site, USA Today and All Things D write.
Shoppers at smile.amazon.com can choose from among nearly 1 million charities that have signed on to receive donations through the AmazonSmile program. Any registered 501(c)(3) group. There is no cap on the dollar amount the company will give, and every physical product available at Amazon.com can also be purchased via the affiliate site, at the same price, although digital items such as Kindle e-books are not yet included.
The size of Amazon’s customer base means the new program could “truly test whether ‘cause’ affects buying decisions,” said Jeff Smith of Matter Unlimited, a creative agency that focuses on social-responsibility campaigns.
