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?'


Online retailer Bookshop.org makes shared pool payments monthly

Bookshop.org is to introduce more regular shared pool payments for booksellers, in addition to paid advertising which will see bookshops sharing 50% of revenues. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-09 07:40:24 UTC ]
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‘A retail media company’: How CAMP wants its online content to eventually drive customers back to stores

CAMP had to shift from brick-and-mortar to a strategy that more directly resembles a digital publisher with a penchant for e-commerce. The post ‘A retail media company’: How CAMP wants its online content to eventually drive customers back to stores appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2021-02-03 05:01:00 UTC ]
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‘A retail media company’: How CAMP wants its online content to eventually drive customers back to stores

CAMP had to shift from brick-and-mortar to a strategy that more directly resembles a digital publisher with a penchant for e-commerce. The post ‘A retail media company’: How CAMP wants its online content to eventually drive customers back to stores appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2021-02-03 05:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #stores appeared #online content #directly resembles #digital publisher


Amazon Online Sales Soared in Q2

Online sales at Amazon jumped 48% in the second quarter of 2020 over the comparable period in 2019, to $45.9 billion. Total revenue rose 40% and operating income skyrocketed 87%. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-07-31 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Get $20 off both Amazon's Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite right now

Reading is a great way to fill this newfound free time we all have and Amazon’s newest deal on the Kindle Paperwhite can make it easier to do so. The Kindle Paperwhite is on sale right now for $100, which is $20 off its normal price, and you can get... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2020-07-20 17:46:44 UTC ]
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Elliott Advisors Buys Wordery, U.K. Online Retailer

Elliott Advisors, owner of Waterstones and Barnes & Noble, has bought Wordery, the online bookselling division of U.K. wholesaler Bertrams. Aurelius, which owns Bertrams, said it was "reviewing its strategic options" for the wholesaler. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent bookstores survived the rise of online retail. Coronavirus poses bigger challenges.

Indie bookstores thrive on being part of a community. Now, they’re taking desperate action to stay in business amid “social distancing.” Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-17 15:49:08 UTC ]
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The Guardian view on Amazon’s football coup: beware tech giants bearing gifts | Editorial

The US experience of watching sport online should ring alarm bells for those who prize the Premier League’s ability to bring people togetherIn the late 1960s, the American author and tech seer Richard Brautigan wrote lyrically of “a cybernetic meadow / where mammals and computers / live together... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-12-02 18:49:42 UTC ]
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Australian online retailers drop Catch and Kill following legal threats

Two Australian online book retailers have suspended sales of Ronan Farrow’s investigation into #MeToo, following legal threats from one of the book’s subjects.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-18 08:21:31 UTC ]
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Amazon Q2 Results: 20% Revenue Jump, Smaller Profit Increase

The tech giant had second quarter revenue of $63 billion, while net income rose to $2.6 billion from $2.5 billion in last year's second quarter. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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EU launches anti-trust probe into Amazon's use of retailers' data

Amazon is facing a European Commission (EC) anti-trust investigation into how it uses sensitive data from independent retailers who sell on its marketplace. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-16 20:36:53 UTC ]
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Amazon, that upstart online bookstore, turns 25 (Photos)

Since its launch 25 years ago, Amazon's reach has extended well beyond an online bookstore. And while it may seem obvious today, at the time Jeff Bezos was working to get his idea to the masses, many investors thought it would be no match for bookstore giants like Borders and Barnes &... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2019-07-08 11:14:14 UTC ]
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Amazon, that upstart online bookstore, turns 25 (Photos)

Since its launch 25 years ago, Amazon's reach has extended well beyond an online bookstore. And while it may seem obvious today, at the time Jeff Bezos was working to get his idea to the masses, many investors thought it would be no match for bookstore giants like Borders and Barnes and... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2019-07-08 10:53:45 UTC ]
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(PHOTOS) Amazon, that upstart online bookstore, turns 25: A history in photos

Since its launch 25 years ago, Amazon's reach has extended well beyond an online bookstore. And while it may seem obvious today, at the time Jeff Bezos was working to get his idea to the masses, many investors thought it would be no match for bookstore giants like Borders and Barnes and... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2019-07-08 10:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online bookstore #obvious today #investors thought #bookstore giants #institutional investors #tom alberg #big rival #dominant figure #book industry #bookstore


Amazon, that upstart online bookstore, turns 25 (Photos)

Since its launch 25 years ago, Amazon's reach has extended well beyond an online bookstore. And while it may seem obvious today, at the time Jeff Bezos was working to get his idea to the masses, many investors thought it would be no match for bookstore giants like Borders and Barnes and... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2019-07-05 17:38:09 UTC ]
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At CONTEC Mexico: Booksellers on Countering the Online Retail Challenge

At the third CONTEC Mexico conference, booksellers from Germany and Spain discussed the art of attracting customers in an age of online shopping. The post At CONTEC Mexico: Booksellers on Countering the Online Retail Challenge appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon 2018 sales hit $232.9bn as retailer enjoys record fourth quarter

Amazon's 2018 sales increased  31% to $232.9bn as the online giant revealed a record $72bn revenue for the fourth quarter, in its latest financial results.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Russian Booksellers Say Online Retail Competition Is Gaining Fast

The share of online sales of books could be as high as 35 percent in the Russian market within five years, according to one executive. The post Russian Booksellers Say Online Retail Competition Is Gaining Fast appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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DugoutZone calls it a game at retail location in Ellicott City; will continue online

After 21 years as the place where local sports fans could find a rare baseball card, an autographed football or even collectible photos, comic books and other memorabilia, the DugoutZone is closing its doors in Ellicott City. Rick Hubata, owner, said it’s time to shutter the brick-and-mortar... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Russian Market Book Sales Channels: Proponents of Both Online Retail and Off

Something of a debate is underway in the Russian market, where some see online retail as a key to future sales growth, while major chains are also showing good numbers in physical stores. Editor’s note: Following our pre-Frankfurt interview with Eksmo CEO Evgney Kapyev, reports from Moscow are... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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