Amazon has become the most popular platform for online American consumerism, taking in about 40 percent of online purchases in the US, according to Marketing Land. Figures indicate that about 65 million members spend an average of $1,200 annually through the retail platform. Amazon has built up high consumer trust with its one-click style of online shopping.
Now, many retails brands are casting a second glance at Amazon’s growing sales. Some of the small brands have given up competing with their own websites and are turning management of their online products over to the titanic platform. Amazon’s gravitas draws customers so readily, according to some retailers, that it makes more sense to work within that flow.
Brands that experiment with their product sales, comparing numbers between those sold through their own sites with items sold on Amazon, the latter wins out. Product sales increased many times over when channeled through Amazon. For example, one online retailer stated they sold 6,700 stress balls in 2015. When they placed the same product line on the retail platform in 2016, 50,000 units were sold.
This is becoming a familiar theme for smaller online brands. If they keep their website active, it is to keep the brand name marketable, but the actual transactionsare performed through Amazon.
Another route small brands are taking is selling on their own site and on other platforms like Amazon and eBay.
As 2017 progresses, Amazon is finding its way into the unwritten glossary of online marketing terms, with coined phrases like Amazon Marketing Only (AMO) and Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).
