Amazon at 20: what has the online giant ever done for retail?

The e-commerce site is 20 years old this week. So what influence has it really had on the retail and internet industries?It was originally billed as “Earth’s Biggest Bookstore” and featured over one million titles. Twenty years later it boasts over 270m active accounts and claims to have more than 2m third-party vendors selling millions of products through the marketplace platform. In that time it has been both lauded and vilified, most recently over corporation tax and staff working conditions but Amazon is quite clearly one of the biggest success stories of online commerce. So what has been its lasting impact? Can it maintain this growth or have we seen the best of it?Amazon was born in July 1994, with the online site launching as Amazon.com a year later. In 1995, Bill Gates, founder and CEO at Microsoft, reportedly paid The Rolling Stones $3m (£1.9m) for the rights to use Start Me Up to launch Windows 95. It was also the year eBay launched as AuctionWeb (a bit later in September) and there were, according to IDC, 16m global internet users compared with over three billion today. Related: Has Net-a-Porter found the holy grail of 21st-century fashion? Related: To avoid Blockbuster's fate, your business needs a chief futures officer Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #corporation tax #lasting impact #bill gates #reportedly paid #holy grail

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Amazon is selling two Echo Show 5 Kids smart displays for the price of one

If you think your kids should have a smart display of their very own, this might be a good time to grab two of them from Amazon. In advance of Prime Day, you can get two Echo Show 5 Kids for the price of one. The displays came out in 2023 and typically go for $100 each. By using the code... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-22 16:30:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #play music #apple music #star wars #echo devices #prime member #buying advice #follow @engadgetdeals #ebooks


Amazon Prime Day 2023: Everything you need to know

Black Friday. President’s Day. Labor Day. All of these arbitrary holiday designations for retail sales weren’t enough for Amazon, so they had to invent an entirely new holiday: Prime Day. And, in fact it’s more than just a single day. The two-day event takes place on July 11th and 12th.... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-06-21 15:48:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #third-party sellers #prime members #limited quantities #july 12th #desktop pcs #kindle


The Morning After: Amazon Prime Day kicks off July 11th

Amazon has announced the dates for its next annual shopping event. Prime Day 2023 will be on July 11th and 12th this year, beginning at 12AM PT/ 3AM ET on Tuesday, July 11th, and concluding at the end of Wednesday, July 12th.Prime Day isn’t necessarily a perk of Amazon’s subscription service,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-21 11:15:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #european countries #kindle


Amazon sale drops the Kindle Paperwhite, Echo Dot and Fire tablets for kids to all-time lows

You can get your kid a new e-reader or tablet at a discount from Amazon right now if you're looking to stoke their love of reading or just simply want to get them a new toy. The 8GB Kindle Paperwhite Kids is currently on sale for $90 for Prime members, which is 44 percent off its list price of... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-21 10:55:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #year-long subscription #subscription service #internal storage #parental controls #buying advice #follow @engadgetdeals #harry potter #kindle


News publishing giant Gannett sues Google for monopolizing ad tech

Gannett, a news publisher accused of monopolistic behavior, is suing Google for monopolistic behavior. It’s the latest in a string of lawsuits against the search giant, and it repeats many of the arguments made by the Department of Justice in its second lawsuit against Google, filed earlier this... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-20 16:46:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #advertising business #anticompetitive behavior #news publisher #publishing giant


Amazon's Echo Dot is down to $28, plus the rest of this week's best tech deals

Summer can be a sleepy time for deals, but there was actually a fair amount of savings to be found on tech this week. Amazon's Prime Day is probably about a month away, but the company looked like they were getting a head start with discounts on Kindles, two Echospeakers, Fire TV devices and... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-16 16:33:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #$50 discount #$40 discount #$20 discount #usual $100 #follow @engadgetdeals #kindle


The Morning After: Get ready for Amazon Prime Day 2023

Prepare your ovenable protein of choice, hang out the ornaments and make haste to invite your friends. We’re rapidly approaching this year’s Prime Day, and so it’s about time you got yourself ready to indulge in Amazon’s two-day sales event. We’ve published our latest guide to help you get set,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-16 11:15:09 UTC ]
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Everything you need to know about Amazon Prime Day 2023

This year’s Amazon Prime Day is likely right around the corner, so it’s a good time to start thinking about the things you’ll want to look for once the deal wave hits. Everything from gadgets to clothes to household necessities will be on sale during the event, and if you’re a Prime member,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-15 12:45:19 UTC ]
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20 Must-Read Historical Fiction Books Set in India

India is a land of great linguistic, cultural, and religious diversity. Here are 20 of the best examples of historical fiction set in India. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-06-15 10:32:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Kindle falls back to $80 in e-reader sale

The season of sitting outside in the sun and reading is upon us — and, fortunately, so is a sale on Kindle e-readers. Amazon is running a deal on its adult and kids Kindles, with the original model down from $100 to $80 — a 16 percent discount. At this price, the base model is just short of its... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-12 10:55:39 UTC ]
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Court to Hear Bids by Amazon, Publishers to Dismiss Revived Price Fixing Case

The hearing on the revived case comes some 10 months after magistrate judge Valerie Figueredo found insufficient evidence for the initial case to proceed. The suit accuses Amazon and the Big Five publishers of a conspiracy to fix e-book prices, a claim the publishers insist is "implausible" and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #e-book


Amazon Fire Kids tablets are up to 50 percent off right now

Amazon is having a big sale on its Fire Kids tablets just in time for summer break. The Fire 7 tablet 16GB boasts one of the best discounts (along with normally being the cheapest option), with a 45 percent off sale bringing it to $60 from $110. However, for only $5 more, the 32GB model is on... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-06 10:35:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #parental controls #battery life #two-year warranty #extra storage #buy things #kid-friendly case #buying advice #follow @engadgetdeals #ebooks


Swiss gov't favors compensation for journalistic 'snippets' posted by online services

Switzerland’s executive branch says it favors changes to copyright law to require large online service providers — including social media platforms and search engines — to pay media companies for use of journalistic content, even small excerpts Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-05-24 12:46:59 UTC ]
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Warner Bros.' Max streaming service launches with new $20 4K tier

HBO Max is completing its transformation into Warner Bros. Discovery's "Max" streaming service today, and it's launching with a new tier especially made for 4K ultra HD viewing. The Ultimate Ad-Free tier will set you back $20 a month or $200 if you're paying for a whole year, making it the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-23 09:27:56 UTC ]
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Amazon's Kindle Scribe updates include support for direct on-page writing

We were enamored with the Kindle Scribe when we reviewed it, but we weren't blind to its shortcomings, including its limited editing capabilities. Now, Amazon has rolled out an update for the device, which solves some of the issues we had with it and makes it a much better option for... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-23 05:17:53 UTC ]
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20 Must-Read Short Stories on Audio

These must-read short stories on audio will help you break out of reading slumps and give you a taste of an author's style, like Some People Have Real Problems by Brit Bennett. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-05-17 10:36:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max drops to $35, plus the rest of this week's best tech deals

The biggest news in tech this week came from Google's annual developer conference on Wednesday. They announced three new devices: The Pixel 7a smartphone, the Pixel Tablet and the Pixel Fold. Discounts on brand new products don't happen often, but both Amazon and Google were quick to bundle... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-12 15:15:04 UTC ]
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Amazon sale discounts Kindle ereaders by up to 33 percent

Sure, ereaders aren't exactly the kind of devices you replace every year, but if you're looking to get a new one right now, Amazon is selling a few Kindle models at a discount. The Kindle Paperwhite Signature with no lockscreen ads in black or denim will set you back $145, or $45 less than its... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-08 09:49:13 UTC ]
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Amazon sale brings Kindle Scribe models down to new lows

If you've been curious about trying the Kindle Scribe, Amazon's first e-ink tablet, now might be a good time to consider the leap. Every model of the Amazon Kindle Scribe is currently 17 percent off for Prime subscribers — the biggest sale we've seen on them yet. This price drop brings Kindle... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-04 10:35:41 UTC ]
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BPG Promotes Three in Retail, Marketing Roles

Michele Misiak has been named executive v-p for direct to consumer and retail sales at Baker Publishing Group, and Raela Schoenherr and Brianne Dekker get new roles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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