Amazon is one of the biggest players in the game when it comes to ecommerce, boasting $178 billion in sales just last year. They also hold the title of most popular online store of 2017, according to Statista.
With this large consumer base and reach, Amazon’s influence is undeniable. They have been adapting to current technology and revamping their delivery service accordingly since their founding in 1994.
Amazon has been helping change the ecommerce market as they grow and change themselves. They're always innovative with the technology they implement and the services they provide. It's a company that puts their customers first, and we see this prioritization in their marketing strategy.
So, you may be asking yourself: if Amazon is such a substantial influencer, how are they continuing to change ecommerce marketing—and how does it affect me?
As a writer for all things UX and ecommerce, I have composed a few of the ways that Amazon has been changing the market over the years and today.
The Amazon Effect
Although Amazon is currently making big strides for the ecommerce industry and contributing to its growth, their innovative solutions started way before that. “The Amazon Effect” refers to the shift in ecommerce customers' expectations because of Amazon’s services. Amazon provides a service that makes online shopping frictionless.
Thus, as Amazon’s customers grew accustomed to a new ease with online shopping, they expected other businesses to provide similar services. Since their origin in 1994, Amazon has been raising the bar for other ecommerce delivery services and having this effect.
One-Click Shopping
Amazon was also an innovator with their development of "one click shopping." Up until their patent expired in 2017, Amazon was the sole owner of this streamlined purchasing tactic after inventing it in 1997.
With Amazon’s new feature, customers didn't have to re-enter their payment information or jump through any additional hoops—one click and the purchase was complete. Similarly, Amazon customers can reorder items they previously ordered with this one click.
This innovation from Amazon has been impacting the market long before today. Amazon has always been adapting and utilizing new technologies to make their customers’ lives easier.
Amazon’s Incomparable Services
The services that Amazon provides are "prime" for their customers. Cheesy puns aside, the services that Amazon and Amazon Prime offer are a main reason that they are setting the pace for the ecommerce industry.
Amazon Prime offers free two-day shipping, free same-day delivery, and more. The speed and the promptness of their deliveries have made them a huge hit with their customer base. Amazon’s return policy has also been a fan favorite. If a customer is dissatisfied with a product, they can send back the item with a full refund. On occasion, Amazon will just tell the customer to keep the product, free of charge.
Amazon provides endless aisles of shopping, competitive pricing, a look inside option for certain products (where a customer can see the inside of a product to ensure quality), transparent customer feedback and ratings, and more.
These services are also trying to be matched by other competitors, and many are trying to drop their shipping prices to compete with Amazon. Amazon’s services have been so successful that many are trying to mirror them, but that’s no small feat. With the way that Amazon is changing the ecommerce industry, they have raised customer expectations for their competitors.
Amazon has been and continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the ecommerce industry.
How Amazon is Changing Ecommerce Marketing
Amazon’s impact has also extended into the marketing realm. Amazon’s marketing strategy always puts the customer at the forefront, adapting to their preferences and their purchasing history.
Amazon primarily does this form of marketing through the products that they optimize and feed to their customers. Based on what customers purchase, Amazon optimizes their feed accordingly. Amazon spoon-feeds the customer exactly what their data indicates they like.
Furthermore, Amazon’s automated marketing strategy encompasses their customer purchasing suggestions. Once a customer purchases an item, Amazon pops up product suggestions based on what the customer just purchased.
As a major influencer in the ecommerce industry, Amazon’s customer-first marketing mantra has begun to change other providers. Amazon tries to make their purchasing experience as personalized and customized as they can for their customers. And as their numbers and stats show, the customers love it.
Bringing it all back together
Amazon is such a big player in the ecommerce and marketing world because of how they prioritize and tailor themselves to best serve their customers’ needs. Amazon has been around for so long because of their innovation and adaptation to changing technology. Amazon always strides to make their ecommerce service the easiest and most painless.If you're also in a place where you are trying to grow your ecommerce business, look at Amazon and try to learn from one of the best. WWAD: What Would Amazon Do? And if you're interested in selling on Amazon yourself or just learning from them, we have plenty of resources at your disposal.