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

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Amazon at 20: what has the online giant ever done for retail?'


Microsoft, Barnes & Noble teach Apple and Amazon a lesson about educational ebooks

Nobody partners, or negotiates deals, like Microsoft. That's evident from today's stunning agreement with Barnes & Noble, which is sure to turn the ebook market on its head. The two will jointly invest in Newco, temporary name for ebook venture that incorporates B&N's digital and College... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2012-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kindle remains Amazon's bestseller in first quarter 2012

  Amazon.com has announced a 19% hike in worldwide media sales, which include books, DVDs... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is Amazon morally wrong but legally right?

Amazon's policies may be unkind to many in the book industry, but that doesn't make them illegal. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Night: coming your way, but no room for Amazon

On World Book Night thousands of volunteers in the US and Europe will hand out books, hoping to pass along their own love of reading. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon buys rights to Bond novels

Amazon announced that it has purchased the North American rights to Ian Fleming's James Bond books. James Bond, of course, is the debonair British superspy 007, played on film by a number of actors, including Sean Connery (above). Under the agreement, Amazon will retain republication rights for... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2012-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple vs. Amazon: Who Is Really Fixing E-Book Prices?

A brouhaha is shaping up: Apple and book publishers square off against Amazon and the DOJ over the price of an ebook. Who's right? CIO.com's Tom Kaneshige looks back to a Whiz Kid from the '90s for answers. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Coming Book Wars: Apple vs. Amazon vs. Google vs. the U.S.

Unresolved conflicts among publishers, sellers, libraries, and the U.S. Justice Department cloud the future of the publishing industry. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2012-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Media Equation: Amazon Low Prices Disguise a High Cost

An antitrust suit may provide short-term price reductions on ebooks, but once the competition is flattened, Amazon is likely to resume its monopolistic ways. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon’s E-Book Pricing a Constant Thorn for Publishers

In February, the Educational Development Corporation said it would remove all its titles from Amazon, more evidence of the tumult over who gets to decide how much a book costs. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple defends ebook price-fixing by calling Amazon a monopoly

Apple shot back at critics and the Justice Department late Thursday, denying claims that it colluded with publishers to keep the price of ebooks artificially high. Even more interesting? The Cupertino, Calif. company took a veiled shot at Amazon, saying its actions were necessary to break up the... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2012-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Fires Back at the Feds, Amazon

Apple responds to antitrust charges: "The launch of the iBookstore in 2010 fostered innovation and competition, breaking Amazon's monopolistic grip on the publishing industry." Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vatican, Bodleian Libraries will publish millions of ancient texts online

Works that will be available for perusal will include Gutenberg's Bible, believed to be the first text ever printed. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Might Slash e-Book Prices to $9.99

Morning Business Memo: Amazon is the big winner in the government’s decision to go after Apple and major publishers over alleged ebook price fixing. Amazon might decide to slash the price of many bestsellers from $14.99 to $9.99. The Justice Department and 15 states sued... Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"Some improvement" for books as March sunshine warms retail

The British Retail Consortium's (BRC) sales monitor for March has revealed "some... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Will Review Kindle Newspaper Submission After All

Days after it told one publisher it had indefinitely suspended the programme to approve its Kindle newspaper edition submission, Amazon has suddenly relented. Last week, Scotland’s Herald & Times Group grumbled publicly that, after tw ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bad new for independent bookstores: Is Google becoming "another Amazon"?

Google will end its Google eBooks reseller program which allowed independent bookstores to sell ebooks through Google's platform. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon tax probe in media spotlight

Amazon's tax arrangements are in the spotlight this morning after national newspapers... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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20 Percent of Americans Say They're Reading eBooks

One in five Americans say they've read an ebook in the last year, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Those numbers come from a late January survey, they're up sharply from a December 2011 survey. Pew says the jump coincides with a jump in... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon launches Kindle eBook store en Español, over 33,000 libros to choose from

Buenas noticias para todos los amantes de los libros que viven en Estados Unidos. Amazon acaba de anunciar una nueva tienda llamada eBooks Kindle en Español. El nuevo servicio dará acceso a más de 33,000 libros que se podrán leer en los diferentes dispositivos Kindle. Esta biblioteca virtual... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How WSJ.com’s Court Case Affects Online Publishers

A New York court recently sided with the Wall Street Journal’s decision to change its terms of service for subscribers, a surprising decision indicating that digital publishers may have more legal leeway than previously imagined. WSJ decide ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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