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Over the years, Amazon has had complicated relationships with small businesses: on the one hand, it has long been a way to sell products online to a wider audience; on the other hand, some have complained of over-selling the "property" of customers on behalf of sales and not being able to stand out and present their brand and products other than in Amazon's format.
But today, Amazon has taken a step forward to counter some of these criticisms: it has launched a new portal calling Storefronts to celebrate the family shops and other small traders that sell through the platform. Amazon begins this first in the United States focusing on some 20,000 merchants "from all 50 states" (note: none of the other regions of the world). In a certain context, there are about 300,000 small American companies selling on Amazon.com today.
Those who are featured on Storefronts are already merchants on the Amazon platform, but you might also see this as a way for Amazon to try to attract more traders to do it. Business. Amazon is huge, but these small businesses have other options, including other markets like eBay, or create their own sites and use something like Shopify to power them, or give up e-commerce routes altogether. "traditional".
The idea is to bring a little more personality to the transaction process, unlike what you could get if you shop regularly in a small company when it is in a physical place and you know maybe the owner you. Storefronts will highlight different merchants in the mix with videos that profiled owners, and highlight a selection of items that they sell via Amazon. It will also feature small businesses in a marketing campaign.
No links, however, to a home page of their own store or their physical stores, if the SMEs have one or the other.
"We have created a unique personalized shopping experience for customers looking for interesting, innovative and high-quality products from US companies across the country," he said. Nicholas Denissen, VP for Amazon in a statement. "Amazon first invited companies to sell Amazon Nearly two decades ago, small and medium-sized businesses are an essential part of Amazon's vast choice and commitment to its customers. We defend their success with this new store and a national advertising campaign featuring a success Michigan company selling on Amazon to customers in the United States and around the world. "
The rest of Storefront's experience is essentially a portal to the broader catalog of products you'll find on Amazon, organized by areas such as Back to School, Halloween, House, Kitchen, Pet supplies and books; or themes such as "women-owned businesses" or "family-oriented businesses" or "craftsmen"; and focusing on products sold by Storefronts merchants, with the products featured in the Amazon layout that you already know very well.
Storefronts is built on a model that Amazon used previously: in 2015, it opened another portal called Launchpad, which focuses primarily on technology startups and sells hardware and other products that it builds. It was later extended to other markets outside the United States, so you can see how Amazon could develop Storefronts futures.
Online markets – where small businesses sell products via third-party platforms such as Amazon or eBay – have been one of the most sustainable business models (perhaps the most sustainable?). It could be argued that the more traditional and direct retail sales to customers is partly due to the boom in these markets, but you can not deny that they also showed that customers continue to want to buy from these small producers and sellers.
"Since we started selling Amazon in October 2016our sales have almost doubled. Thanks to our success, we have been able to recruit new members of our community, including full-time and part-time jobs, "he said. Holly Rutt in a statement. Rutt is the co-founder of Little Flower Soap Co., which features in Amazon's first ad. "We believe that customers like to know the story of what they buy. When job creation is feared, it is reassuring for clients to know that their purchases help keep jobs in the United States. "
Amazon has long countered criticism of its impact on SMEs by highlighting its positive impact. A recent study published that small and medium-sized enterprises Amazon has created more than 900,000 jobs worldwide.
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