Amazon Business expands membership benefits with financial software, cybersecurity protection, and HR tools for small businesses across three partnership programs.

Amazon announced on December 18, 2025, that Amazon Business has integrated three new partnerships into its Business Prime membership program. The expansion delivers financial management tools from Intuit QuickBooks, enterprise cybersecurity protection from CrowdStrike, and payroll automation from Gusto to small and midsize business customers. According to the announcement, these partnerships enable Business Prime members to save nearly $1,000 annually when combining the discounted software offerings with existing membership benefits.

The strategic partnerships arrive as Amazon Business reaches $35 billion in annualized gross sales, serving more than eight million organizations globally excluding emerging geographies, according to the December 18 announcement. The platform operates across 11 countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Business Prime members saved more than $750 million globally in shipping fees during the last year, with nearly 50% of global orders and over 70% of U.S. Business Prime orders arriving the same day or next day.

"Small business owners wear a lot of hats — accountant, HR manager, IT lead — sometimes all before lunch," said Todd Heimes, VP at Amazon Business, according to the announcement. The comment positions the software partnerships as operational efficiency tools rather than simple discount programs.

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QuickBooks brings 60% discount starting 2026

The QuickBooks integration launches in 2026, providing Business Prime members access to QuickBooks Online Simple Start for $180 per year. This represents a 60% discount from the regular $456 MSRP, according to the announcement. The offer targets Business Prime members in the United States who maintain active Business Prime Essentials subscriptions and qualify as new QuickBooks Online subscribers.

QuickBooks manages finances for millions of small businesses according to the announcement, handling payment automation, accounts receivable acceleration, employee payroll, and book reconciliation. The direct integration enables small business customers to automate purchase reconciliation and categorization between Amazon Business and QuickBooks systems. Business Prime members redeem the exclusive offer through their Business Prime benefits page and complete activation on Intuit’s website. The discounted rate continues for the promotion period duration.

The partnership builds on Intuit’s existing presence in small business software markets. Intuit announced in November 2025 that its SMB MediaLabs audiences became available on The Trade Desk platform, providing advertisers access to verified small and midsize business audience segments based on actual usage patterns of Intuit’s financial technology platform. Small businesses constitute 99% of companies in the United States according to a July 2024 report from the U.S. Small Business Administration, creating substantial addressable markets for both software providers and B2B advertisers targeting these organizations.

CrowdStrike delivers free enterprise cybersecurity

Business Prime members on Essentials plans and above receive CrowdStrike Falcon Go at no additional cost starting December 18, 2025. The cybersecurity platform provides AI-native protection designed to stop breaches, delivering what the announcement describes as world-class prevention against ransomware, malware, and modern cyberattacks for organizations lacking dedicated security teams.

Falcon Go delivers the same AI-powered detection that protects large enterprises, according to the announcement. The benefit carries a $59 per device annual value, removing financial and operational barriers by providing enterprise-grade protection through the Business Prime membership. Business Prime Duo members receive 50% off the standard Falcon Go rate rather than free access.

The offer targets Business Prime members in the United States who maintain active Business Prime accounts and do not already possess CrowdStrike accounts. Members activate their cybersecurity benefit through their Business Prime benefits page and complete setup on CrowdStrike’s website. Once enabled, Falcon Go immediately provides AI-powered protection designed to help businesses defend against threats and maintain secure operations.

Cybersecurity concerns affect small and midsize businesses disproportionately compared to enterprises. The European Commission announced in September 2025 its Digital Omnibus initiative designed to simplify regulations across artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and data governance. According to that announcement, businesses face significant burden from incident and data breach reporting obligations regulated under different EU-level rules with inconsistent national implementation. The omnibus seeks streamlined reporting processes while maintaining cybersecurity protection standards.

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Gusto provides 70% discount on payroll automation

Business Prime members in the United States receive 70% off their first 12 months of Gusto’s payroll and HR platform starting December 18, 2025. The benefit provides access to Gusto’s system for hiring, onboarding, payroll, and benefits administration. According to the announcement, the platform helps business owners save time, maintain compliance with company policies, and reduce manual work.

Gusto serves more than 400,000 businesses nationwide according to the announcement. The platform targets small businesses seeking to automate payroll, simplify HR management, and maintain compliance with federal and state regulations. The offer requires members to lack existing Gusto accounts and maintain active Business Prime membership to qualify.

Members redeem this offer through their Business Prime benefits page and complete activation on Gusto’s website. Once enrolled, members access automated payroll runs, built-in tax filing, and benefits management tools designed to save hours each week. Standard pricing applies after the 12-month promotional period.

HR technology adoption accelerates among small businesses as regulatory complexity increases and labor markets tighten. The technical infrastructure required to maintain compliance with federal and state payroll regulations, benefits administration, and tax filing creates operational challenges for businesses lacking dedicated human resources staff.

Business Prime demonstrates value through usage metrics

The three new partnerships build on Business Prime’s existing benefits including fast, free shipping on millions of items, Spend Visibility analytics, Guided Buying features, and flexible payment options, according to the announcement. With yearly savings approaching $1,000 when combining software discounts with shipping savings and operational efficiency gains, Business Prime positions itself as comprehensive infrastructure for small business operations rather than simple purchasing advantages.

Business Prime members also access enhanced shipping benefits including Amazon Day, which consolidates eligible deliveries to a single day each week. The delivery consolidation reduces packaging waste and simplifies receiving operations for businesses managing inventory across multiple locations or departments.

Small business customers in the United States benefit from additional savings opportunities through Business Prime Rewards offering up to 4% back on brands by Amazon. Customers can combine these rewards with savings from the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card and Prime-exclusive deals, creating layered discount structures across purchasing categories.

Amazon Business has evolved since launching in the United States in 2015 to serve organizations of all sizes through selection depth, pricing advantages, and procurement capabilities, according to the announcement. The platform actively serves hundreds of thousands of small businesses worldwide alongside Fortune 500 companies. Business Prime membership enhances this value proposition by offering organizations additional benefits beyond everyday low prices and vast selection.

Procurement and business leaders benefit from convenient shipping options on hundreds of millions of supplies across categories including office, IT, janitorial, and food service. Business-tailored features include curated site experiences, business-only pricing and selection, single- or multi-user business accounts, approval workflows, purchasing system integrations, payment solutions, tax exemptions, and dedicated customer support.

The platform development approach emphasizes working closely with customers to understand business buying challenges. Amazon Business continues developing technologies designed to simplify how organizations and administrators define, meet, and proactively measure progress toward purchasing budgets and goals.

Strategic implications for B2B procurement

The Amazon Business expansion demonstrates platform strategies around bundling complementary services to increase switching costs and customer lifetime value. By integrating financial management, cybersecurity, and HR tools into procurement membership programs, Amazon positions Business Prime as essential infrastructure rather than optional purchasing convenience.

Small and midsize businesses represent substantial markets for both software providers and B2B advertisers. LinkedIn research published in July 2025 analyzed over 13,000 B2B video advertisements to identify creative elements driving performance. According to that research, video posts generate 20 times more shares than any other content format on LinkedIn, with video viewership increasing 36% in 2024 to reach 154 billion views.

The partnerships reflect recognition that small business decision-makers juggle multiple operational responsibilities including accounting, human resources, and IT security. Software providers gain distribution through Amazon’s established business customer base while Amazon deepens engagement with Business Prime members through expanded utility beyond purchasing transactions.

Amazon consolidated its advertising infrastructure in December 2025, merging the Amazon DSP and Ads Console into unified Campaign Manager with AI agents. The move fundamentally reshaped how advertisers interact with the platform by eliminating fragmented experiences that previously forced navigation between separate interfaces for search advertising and programmatic buying. Amazon’s advertising business operates at a $69 billion annual revenue run rate, with significant contributions from retail media capabilities.

The integration of business software benefits into procurement membership programs creates data advantages for Amazon. Financial management system integrations provide visibility into spending patterns, budget constraints, and category preferences that inform both procurement recommendations and advertising targeting strategies. Cybersecurity deployments across business endpoints generate network activity data, while HR platform integrations reveal hiring patterns and organizational growth trajectories.

Privacy considerations remain central to these partnerships. Both Intuit and CrowdStrike maintain independent data governance policies separate from Amazon’s retail and advertising operations. The technical implementations involve separate authentication systems and data storage architectures designed to prevent cross-contamination between procurement activity and software usage patterns.

Competitive landscape in B2B software distribution

Amazon’s approach represents one pathway among several strategies for distributing business software. Traditional reseller channels maintain relationships with IT service providers and value-added resellers who provide implementation support alongside software licenses. Software-as-a-service providers increasingly pursue direct sales motions through online marketplaces and self-service trials.

Microsoft maintains extensive partnership programs through its Azure Marketplace and Microsoft 365 integrations. Salesforce operates AppExchange as a distribution channel for business applications. Google Workspace Marketplace provides similar functionality for organizations using Google’s productivity suite.

The Business Prime integration differs by bundling software access with procurement membership rather than operating as standalone marketplace. This structure creates interdependencies between purchasing behavior and software adoption that potentially increase retention across both functions.

Bombora launched Curated Ecosystem Audiences on October 30, 2025, partnering with Crunchbase, Definitive Healthcare, G2, and HG Insights to convert proprietary data from specialized B2B platforms into addressable advertising audiences. The system addresses what industry observers characterize as gaps between marketing insights and activation capabilities by providing pre-integrated access across advertising technology platforms.

Cost structures vary significantly across software distribution models. Direct sales require substantial sales and marketing investment to acquire customers individually. Reseller channels involve margin sharing with partners. Marketplace listings compete on visibility and conversion rates. Membership bundling amortizes customer acquisition costs across broader value propositions while potentially reducing price sensitivity for individual software components.

Small businesses demonstrate distinct software adoption patterns compared to enterprises. Implementation complexity, upfront costs, and ongoing management requirements create barriers to adoption despite clear operational benefits. Discount programs integrated into existing purchasing relationships reduce friction by eliminating separate procurement processes and budget approval workflows.

QuickBooks competes with FreshBooks, Xero, Wave, and Zoho Books in small business accounting software markets. CrowdStrike competes with Microsoft Defender, Norton, Bitdefender, and Kaspersky in endpoint security. Gusto competes with ADP, Paychex, QuickBooks Payroll, and Rippling in payroll and HR platforms. The partnerships provide distribution advantages to specific vendors within competitive categories.

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Timeline

• 2015: Amazon Business launches in United States
• July 2024: Amazon launches in-store digital signage advertising at Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh locations
• August 2025: Amazon sellers report sales declines ranging from 60-80% year-over-year amid recession fears and platform algorithm changes
• October 30, 2025: Bombora launches Curated Ecosystem Audiences with Crunchbase, Definitive Healthcare, G2, and HG Insights
• November 12, 2025: Amazon launches Business Assistant providing conversational AI support for organizational purchasing
• November 18, 2025: Amazon announces 50+ upgrades to Rufus including memory, price tracking, and autonomous purchasing
• November 24, 2025: Intuit SMB MediaLabs audiences become available on The Trade Desk platform
• December 3, 2025: Amazon consolidates advertising platforms merging DSP and Ads Console into unified Campaign Manager
• December 18, 2025: Amazon Business announces QuickBooks, CrowdStrike, and Gusto partnerships for Business Prime members

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Summary

Who: Amazon Business announced partnerships affecting Business Prime members across the United States, in collaboration with Intuit QuickBooks, CrowdStrike, and Gusto. Todd Heimes serves as VP at Amazon Business.

What: Amazon Business added three new partnerships to Business Prime membership providing: QuickBooks Online Simple Start for $180 per year (60% discount from $456 MSRP) launching in 2026, free CrowdStrike Falcon Go cybersecurity protection valued at $59 per device annually for Essentials plan members and above, and 70% off Gusto payroll and HR platform for first 12 months. Combined benefits enable members to save nearly $1,000 annually when including existing shipping and purchasing advantages.

When: The partnerships were announced on December 18, 2025, with CrowdStrike and Gusto benefits available immediately and QuickBooks integration launching in 2026.

Where: The benefits target Business Prime members in the United States who maintain active Business Prime subscriptions. Amazon Business operates across 11 countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, serving more than eight million organizations globally excluding emerging geographies.

Why: The partnerships address operational challenges facing small business owners who manage multiple responsibilities including accounting, HR, and IT security. By bundling financial management, cybersecurity, and payroll tools into procurement membership programs, Amazon positions Business Prime as comprehensive business infrastructure while increasing membership value and customer retention. The software providers gain distribution through Amazon’s established business customer base.