For an interesting face-off on Amazon's new Prime service, check out the Wall Street Journal [2] today. (The Journal is offering this article free for the day.) For those who missed the news last week, Amazon [3] announced a new club-like service that provides "free" two-day shipping on unlimited orders for $79 a year. While one columnist gives the service a tentative nod--"Amazon is bidding to lock itself in as its loyalists' default choice ... a state of affairs very different than today, and that would translate into an awfully healthy effect on the bottom line"--the other is much more skeptical. ("The online-retailing king is starting to look jittery, like a wide receiver catching a pass over the middle.")

In a way, it's a strange fit. Club-like programs are often for commodity-like companies where customers aren't inclined to be loyal, such as airline frequent flier programs or grocery store point programs. And yet, Amazon is built on a model customer experience that shouldn't need a loyalty program. But as other online retailers begin catching up with Amazon's customer experience, is this a sign of increasing pressure? What do you think of Amazon's move?