There is an article in the Wall Street Journal today about how Amazon promotes its own private label products above comparable search results on its site. The article dives into various internal politics in Amazon, but I want to focus on the core contention, because there are certain assumptions the article makes – about e-commerce, … Continue reading Amazon and Private Label Goods
Yesterday, I got an email from Amazon, letting me know that my Prime card* would now get me 5% back at Whole Foods. What strikes me as interesting about the marriage of Amazon and Whole Foods is how Amazon is using Whole Foods as a unique beachhead in its rapid assault on other retail incumbents. … Continue reading Organic Foods. Prime Benefits.
I go through the punches, 4, 9, GROC, TOT — it’s more complicated than you think, and after you do it often enough, it begins to make a lttle song, that you hear words to, in my case “Hello (bing) there, you (gung) hap-py pee-pul (splat)”-the splat being the drawer flying out. — A&P, John … Continue reading Where Do We (Amazon) Go From Here?
Yesterday, HBO announced that it had 800,000 subscribers on its standalone streaming service, HBO GO. CEO Richard Plepler was optimistic: “I wouldn’t say only 800,000 subs,” Plepler said in a response to an analyst who had used the word “only” in his question. “We’re just getting started. … I think we’re going to make a lot … Continue reading HBO’s Numbers
Bloomberg Business ran an article yesterday on the dilemna many residents of Israel face when ordering items online. Namely, expensive shipping fees and relatively long wait times reduce much of the incentive to order locally. Instead, the article asserts that many Israelis turn to foreign sellers – Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba chief among them – whose … Continue reading Small Country, Big Retailers, Few Options
The Times ran an article yesterday, speculating that Amazon may be looking to open more brick-and-mortar bookstores, to complement the one it built a few months ago: The Internet retailer plans to open more brick-and-mortar bookstores following the unveiling last year of one such location here in its hometown, according to a person briefed on … Continue reading Amazon’s Offline Expansion
Looks like Amazon is opening a bookstore in Seattle. The Seattle Times reports: The store, called Amazon Books, looks a lot like bookstores that populate malls across the country. Its wood shelves are stocked with 5,000 to 6,000 titles, best-sellers as well as Amazon.com customer favorites. Some interesting things here, starting with the exposure it … Continue reading Amazon Gets Physical
Black Friday has become an opportunity for consumers to end their Thanksgiving meal early and mass at the entrance of their nearest big box store, in anticipation of a morning light that will bring with it discounted TVs and marked-down skinny jeans. In the race to be the place for customers, stores are opening earlier, as well … Continue reading Camp in the Outdoors, Not Outside Stores
I’m due for a new phone, and, like any Apple-head without a contract, I spent a long time traversing the internet in search of an unlocked iPhone 6. I spent a while on Amazon and an inordinate amount of time on eBay. Amazon is a cleaner purchasing process, and eBay, for better or worse, offers a bit … Continue reading Swappa
Bill Gurley has a great article on Uber’s valuation – actually a response to Aswath Damodaran’s piece – that raises some of the various markets Uber seeks to enter. He points out: When I used to travel to Los Angeles and Seattle on business I would use a rental car. Today I only Uber. It is materially … Continue reading Uber Cool Evaluations
Silicon Spatula 