As technology becomes more prevalent in everyday lives, students are always looking for new ways to use technology to their advantage. Amazon is a perfect example of this, making it easier to shop from the comfort of the home using a phone or computer.

In the past few years, Amazon has become a major online marketplace that can be used to buy just about anything. Because of this online dominance, students are starting to shop on Amazon more than actual stores.

When asked about items he most commonly purchases from Amazon, junior Kyle Ly said, “Probably some common things I buy from Amazon would probably have to be anything like posters to being anything that I can use for computers to pretty much anything that I feel interested in.”

People are obviously taking advantage of the wide range of items and easy access, as over 2 billion products are sold on Amazon each year with over 480 million products to choose from. Finding something that interests the customer should be no problem.

Another big draw to Amazon for students is Amazon Prime. Junior Anna Krusinski has Amazon Prime and likes it because she thinks, “Amazon Prime has like really fast shipping so if you need something by like the end of the week.”

Amazon Prime is a paid subscription where subscribers get free two day shipping on eligible items as well as discounts. There is even a whole day dedicated to giving Prime members exclusive deals on many items. Out of 304 million active Amazon accounts, 54 million have prime, and each of those 54 million Prime members spends upwards of $1250 a year on Amazon.

Freshman Alex Corbett also has Prime, and for many of the same reasons as Krusinski. Corbett explained, “It’s cheap and I have Prime so I can have free shipping.”

For $99 a year, students can enjoy all the benefits of Amazon Prime, including free two day shipping. Amazon Prime members agree that the top reason for buying the subscription was for the free two day shipping. Consumers want the products and they want it fast.

Amazon delivers lots of packages each year, especially around the holiday season. Ly will not be doing his holiday shopping through Amazon though, but for a very good reason as he added, “No, more than likely I’m not going to. For reasonings why not doing that is also because of a lot of the issues with packages being sent to homes and everything and people following around the delivery truck, so it’s like if you waste your money on that then they don’t give your money back if someone steals it.”

Data and information from Slice Intelligence, a data company that tracks package orders, indicates that Amazon makes about 35.7 percent, or about one third, of all online sales each Black Friday. Also, 51 percent of shoppers planned to do their holiday shopping on Amazon, compared to the next highest store which was Walmart with only 16 percent. So, with that many packages being sent out at one time, Ly has a good point.

All these factors combine to make the ultimate online shopping experience. In this marketplace, convenience is key.

“You don’t have to like run out to Target which is like more overpriced,” Krusinski said.