The program allowed customers to donate a small portion of their purchases to a charity of their choice. Amazon says it will end by February 20th.
SEATTLE — Amazon announced Wednesday that it is shutting down AmazonSmile. AmazonSmile is a charitable donation program that allows customers to donate a portion of their purchases to organizations of their choice.
The program has picked up the ax as the company is taking massive job cuts and cost-cutting measures.
In a notice sent to customers Wednesday night, Amazon said, “Almost a decade later, the program has not grown to generate the impact it originally hoped.” With so many eligible organizations, our ability to influence was often spread too thinly.”
A small percentage of purchases made through AmazonSmile were donated to eligible charities of the customer’s choosing. Since the program launched in 2013, Amazon has donated approximately $400 million to US charities.
Amazon says the program will end by February 20. Charities that were part of the program will continue to collect donations until then. You will also receive his one-time donation at the end of the program, which is equivalent to 3 months worth of donations.
Amazon said it plans to “make a meaningful difference” by investing in other areas, such as building affordable housing and natural disaster relief.
It’s not clear if the layoffs are tied to AmazonSmile’s demise, but Amazon is now cutting 18,000 positions, the largest set of layoffs in the company’s history, to adapt to changing economic forecasts. It’s in the middle.
The company has delayed plans to expand its warehouses and closed many divisions to keep costs down. These include Amazon Care telemedicine services, a video calling device for kids called Amazon Glow, and longtime online fabric store Fabric.com.