Amazon Steals Target Exec To Expand Prime

Amazon has tapped Jamil Ghani, Target’s SVP of strategy and innovation, to head up the Amazon Prime membership business outside of the U.S.

According to a Recode report that cited a person briefed on the move, Ghani will report to Amazon VP of Amazon Prime Greg Greeley. The report noted that Ghani was a rising star at Target, coming up with new ways for the retailer to grow in a market that is being disrupted by Amazon. At Target, Ghani reported to Target Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Casey Carl and led a team of 150.

For Amazon, the move underscores the growing importance of Prime outside the U.S., given analysts are predicting Prime in the U.S. will slow during the course of the next few years. The report noted that analysts estimate close to half of all households in the U.S. subscribe to Prime. As a result, Amazon has been expanding the Prime service, announcing the launch of Prime in India and in China.

While there are concerns about the future growth of Amazon Prime, during the holidays, in the U.S., Amazon set records in terms of sales of its Echo and with Prime. During the holidays, Amazon said more than 1 billion items were shipped around the world with Prime and Fulfillment by Amazon, with more people around the globe trying Amazon Prime this year compared to any of the years past. Amazon said the fastest Prime Now delivery happened on Christmas Eve and took 13 minutes to be delivered to a Prime member in Redondo Beach, Calif. Amazon said Dec. 23 was the biggest day in Amazon’s history for Prime Now deliveries worldwide, with Prime members ordering three times more items compared to a year ago with one- and two-hour delivery.