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Amazon was in the headlines last week for allegedly altering its product search algorithm to boost its own products. Now, the company is hoping to shift the narrative to focus on all of the good things it does for small businesses. The timing seems questionable to some.
Most DTC brands are allergic to Amazon -- and for good reason. But one firm has figured out a strategy that has low acquisition costs and directs all traffic to Amazon. The result is an Amazon-only DNVB path that forgoes the traditional scaling ethos.
Amazon's ad business has been steadily growing for the last few years. Now, marketing services are jumping on, offering their services to retailers. As the e-commerce giant continues to challenge the duopoly, more retailers and marketers will be taking notice.
Amazon’s got a thriving market for fake reviews. This black market lives mostly in chat and social platforms; Facebook is where it really thrives.
While Amazon continues to rule retail, traditional companies like Target and Walmart are strategizing to fight. Here are some of the ways the companies use private labels and their own stores to stay relevant and competitive.
Amazon has previously offered vendors the ability to bid on the Amazon’s Choice badge by lowering prices, increasing profitability per sale for Amazon and increasing marketing spend, according to sources who received the pitch from the company.
More lawmakers are cracking down on Amazon's allegedly anticompetitive practices. But it's important to understand what these politicians and advocates are claiming, in order to surmise the best approach to fight the ever-growing tech behemoth.
Amazon has rolled out a new selling format for brands in its third-party marketplace: Sold by Amazon, a program that lets sellers submit products to be priced by Amazon’s algorithm. Positioned as a competitive advantage to sellers, the new selling format could prove to be a slippery slope.
Amazon reportedly obtained a liquor license in San Francisco. This is likely part of the company's slow expansion into the alcohol delivery business. As a whole, alcohol e-commerce has been relatively untapped – and Amazon may be the company that makes a big splash.
Two months after it pulled its FedEx Express air mail service from the platform, FedEx has ended its FedEx Ground Shipping service. To get items to customers within Amazon’s ever-shrinking guaranteed delivery windows, the company will rely on UPS, DHL and its own network of delivery capabilities, which include its own fleet of cargo planes, delivery trucks and local drivers.
This week, Microsoft purchased the marketing technology platform PromoteIQ. It's another example of the computing giant trying to both court retailers and compete with Amazon. But can Microsoft level up with the e-commerce giant?
Thrive Market positions itself as an alternative to Whole Foods. Indeed, it customer acquisition could be considered the antithesis of Amazon-esque one-off tactics. At a conference, the online grocery marketplace's svp of marketing discussed the slow and steady approach Thrive makes to keep loyal customers.
Brands that have participated in Amazon's one-year emerging brands program, which encompasses the initiative to launch DTC startup brands on Amazon, said they get access to a level of customer service and account management that others sellers don’t, and the participation opens doors to more opportunities working with Amazon.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Amazon's Brand Accelerator program includes a clause that grants the company the right to purchase any brand it works with for a set price. Essentially, what this means is that Amazon agrees to provide resources to help a business's sales, but it can – at a moment's notice – decide to purchase the brand and bring the entire operation in-house.
Amazon’s algorithms always favor high sell-through rates, consistent ad spend and low returns, but Prime Day sees the peak of those algorithmic preferences as Amazon is expected to bring in $6.1 billion in sales on July 15 and 16, according to marketing platform IgnitionOne.
Advertisers, from DTCs scrapping for share in a crackling at-home beauty market to seasoned retailers leaning into the quarantined consumer’s e-commerce surge, what’s changing about your campaign KPIs? How are you using data to make choices and effectively budget across channels? What’s working, what’s broken and how will you fix it? Take this survey and get the full results plus a $5 Starbucks gift card.
BigCommerce filed its S-1 earlier this week, providing a little more visibility into how its business works. Since 2009, BigCommerce has provided digital commerce services for merchants. It touts customers including Woolrich, Camelbak, Clarks and Gillette. While it's true that digital commerce is accelerating at an unprecedented clip, the platform faces stiff competition from companies like Shopify.
Read MoreAt the Modern Retail Virtual Forum, we’ll bring together senior retail marketers online to discuss the challenges they’re facing and the solutions they’re seeking in the era of smarter retail.
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