What Did Amazon Do This Week? - 24-04-2022
AMAZON PRIME IS BUSTING OUT THE WALLED GARDEN
Amazon unveiled a new feature that has
been more than three years in the making. ‘Buy with Prime’ allows +200m Prime members to extend their Prime benefits (fast and free delivery, free returns, and a slick checkout experience) to participating third-party merchants on their sites and apps. The move is a good swipe at Shopify, and a huge value unlock for consumers.
The feature is only for FBA merchants (right now at least). Retailers will come after this ‘trial’, and then those who are not using FBA but on an invitation basis. Smart, slow moves. Essentially this turns Amazon’s logistics and fulfilment infrastructure into a platform. Analysts are already mentioning this could be AWS in size and ramifications if all goes well.
How does it work? Users will see a Prime logo on the sites and apps that ‘Buy with Prime’ works with, thanks to a javascript widget from Amazon. Merchants get access to order data, as does Amazon. A point that is sure to annoy some retailers. FBA merchants only pay for what they use, according to Amazon, and they don’t have to offer everything up. The trickle-style rollout also features big plays for your digital identity; it’s like social login, but invisibly your pocket; the ‘consumer graph’ as Ingrid from Techcrunch calls it.
SO WHAT?
‘BwP’ is a big swing for Amazon, which could backfire. Will they offer more things through Prime? Would Tesco ever allow delivery via Amazon? Time will tell. Although, if I were in the publishing industry, I would be calling Amazon now and doing deals. Whether Amazon gets people to change their behaviour or not is somewhat irrelevant. Amazon will make a bundle of money in new markets and get a bunch more data in the process.
REMINDER: BOLD = Important/large impact story
Amazon is still fighting for cricket rights in India. /Bloomberg
‘Voltron’ is likely heading to Amazon Prime Video. /THR
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon will produce/star in the Nike Sneaker Man Sonny Vaccaro biopic. /THR
Amazon Music will livestream Latto’s Atlanta 777 Tour Stop. /Vibe
Amazon has secured the ‘It Takes Two’ movie and is giving it priority development. /Variety
Amazon will create the original series ‘Indian Police Force’ featuring Rohit Shetty, Sidharth Malhotra for an Amazon Prime Video Series. /Variety
AWS chief gave a rare interview and said AWS will not be spun off, and more acquisitions are on the way. /Bloomberg
Amazon is working on a mysterious AR smart home product, according to job listings. /Protocol
Amazon will invest $1 billion in logistics, robotics companies via the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund (including Agility Robotics, which makes bipedal warehouse robots). /Bloomberg
AWS announced general availability of AWS IoT TwinMaker. /Amazon
Amazon’s Appstore on Windows 11 isn’t getting rave reviews. /Android Police
Amazon has won multiple space communications contracts from NASA. /Reuters
AWS announced the general availability of AWS Amplify Studio. /Amazon
AWS announced the general availability of AWS Amazon Aurora Serverless V2 /Amazon
Amazon Canada launched its most advanced robotics facility in Hamilton, Ontario. /Amazon
Amazon opened the largest distribution base in western Japan in Amagasaki. /Amazon
Amazon is looking to extend its reach with its ‘Buy With Amazon’ button. /Retail Dive
Amazon acquired reseller platform Glowroad. /TET
Amazon is holding a ‘Get Ready for Prime Day’ webinar. /Amazon
Amazon was candid about how it decides what to show shoppers in a recent post on the German blog. /Amazon
Amazon is adding another storage type for “extra large” items; and it’s making a change to its “Small and Light” FBA program. /ECB
Amazon is running its first pet sale day on May 2. /ECB
Amazon is testing a program that will help shoppers identify products from small businesses. /ECB
Amazon has updated the Partnered Carrier Programme. /Tamebay
Amazon announced new changes to inventory limits. /Modern Retail
Amazon Europe paid no taxes on $55b sales in 2021 in Europe. /Bloomberg
Amazon will conduct a racial equity audit led by former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, in response to a shareholder proposal. /CNBC
Amazon faces new activism from pension funds in New York over worker safety. /WSJ
Amazon will webcast Q1 2022 financial results. /Amazon
Amazon supplier arrested over 'smuggling charges' delayed grocery store expansion, internal documents show. /BI
Zappos named, Ginny McCormick as its first CMO. /WSJ
Amazon is emailing merchants to gather their views in a Voice of Small Business Survey. /Tamebay
Amazon CEO said unions are ‘slower and more bureaucratic’ in leaked employee all-hands. /Verge
Arlington approved Amazon’s plans for PenPlace, the largest piece of HQ2 /WaPo
Amazon announced more green tech projects. /Bloomberg
Amazon workers at the New Jersey work will hold a union election. /Bloomberg
Amazon Fresh is adding more stores in Southern California (USA). /Supermarketnews
Amazon was accused of expanding its charity work program to mask the injury rate. /CNET
Amazon workers in New York have accused the company of retaliatory firings. /Engadget
Amazon wil close its COVID-19 testing facility in Hebron; 150 jobs to be lost. /Cincinatti.com
Amazon is ridiculed for trying to motivate Easter Sunday workers with a raffle to win water and a bag of chips. /Fortune
Judge orders Amazon to reinstate warehouse worker unlawfully fired over safety protests. /Verge
Reliance has called off the $3.4 billion retail deal with India's Future Group. /Reuters
Amazon's year could be weighed down by oil prices, stimulus end /Retail Dive
Q&A with Dave Limp, Amazon SVP of devices and services, on how ambient computing can enhance the world, Fire Phone's failure, Alexa shopping, Astro, and more. /FT
The DSA (Digital Services Act) is agreed (terms still pending). /Bloomberg
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