Amazon | Internet Marketing Blog

Is Cyber Monday the worst day for a sale?

Thanks to the rise of online shopping, Cyber Monday is now arguably just as big a cultural institution as its cousin, Black Friday. And it's only getting bigger: with Black Friday online sales topping $1bn for the first time ever, analysts are predicting that when retailers are done counting, this year's Cyber Monday may produce more than $1.5bn in sales.

Naturally, that has companies looking to cash in. But the deals aren't just limited to traditional holiday shopping fare like clothing.

by Patricio Robles 27 November 2012 14:24pm 2 comments

Amazon goes social, launches Pages, Posts and Analytics

Is the future of commerce social? It depends on who you ask, and the answer is likely to be based on where you look.

Despite Facebook's massive audience, for instance, f-commerce has not panned out for many brands. Pinterest, on the other hand, has obvious potential.

One thing is indisputable, however: brands continue to invest in their social presences, and challenges notwithstanding, many are still trying to figure out how to convert social to sales and track the process.

by Patricio Robles 22 November 2012 09:16am 2 comments

Lockers: Amazon's omni-channel strategy?

A growing number of retailers are looking at omni-channel strategies, and for obvious reasons, those with physical storefronts have an easier path. But that doesn't mean that online retailers can't play the omni-channel game, or need to go brick-and-mortar to get in it.

Case in point: Amazon.

by Patricio Robles 07 November 2012 15:30pm 2 comments

Are online retailers being tripped up by postcode entry?

A number of well-known retailers are making basic mistakes with postcode validation which could be increasing their checkout abandonment rates.

Users are prone to make errors when completing web forms, and anticipating and dealing with common errors can minimise the risk that user frustration will lead to them abandoning the checkout.

I'll look at one common error, which many sites fail to account for. An oversight which may be increasing their checkout abandonment rates...

by Graham Charlton 06 November 2012 11:48am 26 comments

Amazon uses homepage to diss iPad mini

The $329 iPad mini may be selling like hotcakes, but that isn't fazing one of Apple's biggest competitors in the tablet market. According to Amazon, the Kindle Fire HD has not only survived the launch of a smaller, cheaper iPad, it's actually thriving.

That may suggest that the iPad mini and Kindle Fire HD aren't really competing with each other, but don't tell that to Amazon. The online retail giant thinks that the iPad mini is a juicy target and is using its homepage to prove the point.

by Patricio Robles 30 October 2012 12:27pm 5 comments

Argos plans to refocus as a 'digitally-led' business

Argos has announced plans to reposition itself as a ‘digitally-led business’ in the face of falling sales and profits.

The new plan, which will cost around £300m over the next three years, involves reducing the emphasis on catalogues as well as closing or relocating 75 stores.

Our new report, How The Internet Can Save The High Street, looks at how brick-and-mortar stores can use digital channels to help drive sales, and it’s not difficult to see why Argos views digital as the way forward.

In the 26 weeks to the beginning of September Argos' multichannel increased to 51% of total sales, while online ‘check & reserve’, at 30% of total sales, remains the fastest growing channel.

Furthermore, mobile shopping represented 7% of total sales, contributing in excess of £100m of sales in the period despite the fact that Argos doesn’t have a transactional mobile site.

by David Moth 25 October 2012 10:47am 2 comments

Amazon courts Madison Avenue

Amazon is the master of online retailing, and is proving that it's capable of making it easy for consumers to find and buy whatever they're looking for across digital channels.

But don't let Amazon's ecommerce dominance fool you: the company's ambitions extend well beyond simply selling product. Increasingly, the company is looking to take advantage of its position to extend its reach into new markets, including, now, advertising.

by Patricio Robles 10 October 2012 14:33pm 1 comment

12 reasons behind Amazon's massive mobile success

Along with eBay, Amazon was one of the first brands to see the early potential of mobile commerce and is now leading the way in terms of innovation and mobile sales.

Its mobile site and apps have been a huge success and helped it to both maintain its dominance of e-commerce and extend its market reach.

Part of Amazon’s success on mobile is obviously attributable to its reputation as a trustworthy online retailer, but that doesn’t tell the full story. Other well-known brands haven’t adapted to m-commerce with the same urgency or focus on user experience and are now playing catch up.

So here we look at 12 reasons that have contributed to Amazon’s success in m-commerce...

by David Moth 09 October 2012 11:44am 13 comments

Amazon's mobile shopping basket and consistent multichannel strategy

A recent study looking at which retailers offer the best multichannel customer experience found that consumers liked the fact that Amazon synchronises its shopping basket across its desktop site and mobile app.

So, if you add a DVD to your shopping basket online it immediately adds it to the app as well. This makes perfect sense, and fits with the way people research and switch between channels.

It’s a feature that is quite easy to miss, but is a great example of offering the customer a consistent experience across different channels rather than viewing desktop and mobile in isolation.

To find out whether or not it is common practice, I looked at the iPhone apps for eight other retailers to see whether they offer the same function...

by David Moth 03 October 2012 12:06pm 1 comment

Amazon to provide loans to merchants: report

Selling products online can be a lucrative business, but it's typically not an easy one, particularly for small merchants. While the internet helps address some challenges, like finding customers, margins can be tight and merchants often struggle with cash flow.

Enter Amazon, the 800-pound gorilla of ecommerce. Already a significant source of sales for some merchants through its Amazon Marketplace, the Seattle-based company is now positioning itself to be an even larger fixture in the lives of many businesses with the launch of a service called Amazon Lending.

by Patricio Robles 02 October 2012 15:21pm 1 comment