'Revolutionary' Jeff Bezos takes aim at Amazon critics
Jeff Bezos has hit out at those critics who predicted Amazon would fail.
In a tweet posted earlier today, he flagged up a Barron’s article, published in 1999, which stated: “The idea that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has pioneered a new business paradigm is silly. He’s just another middleman, and the stock market is beginning to catch on to the fact.”
It added: “The real winners on the net will be the firms that sell their own products, directly to consumers.”
In reply, Bezos wrote: “Listen and be open, but don’t let anybody tell you who you are. This was just one of the many stories telling us all the ways we were going to fail.”
“Today, Amazon is one of the world’s most successful companies and has revolutionised two entirely different industries.”
Because Jeff definitely isn’t bitter. Oh no…
Physical retail push
Last week, Amazon opened the doors to the first Amazon 4-star store outside of the US.
Situated in Bluewater, this offers a range of products that are rated four stars and above, are top sellers, or are trending on Amazon’s UK site, including consumer electronics, toys, games, books, kitchen, and home.
It will also have the full range of Amazon devices available to demo, including Kindle e-Readers, Fire Tablets, and Echo Dots.
Customers can purchase online and collect orders at the store as soon as the next day. It also offers parcel free, label free returns for items purchased both in store and online.
Digital price tags are located alongside each product with the item price, average star rating, and the number of customer reviews.
Amazon account holders will pay the price as they would on the UK site. Prime members will receive exclusive perks and deals throughout the store.
What’s the gameplan?
It’s all about baiting shoppers into the company’s ecosystem, argues Natalie Berg, retail analyst, author and founder of NBK Retail.
“The 4-star concept may seem weird (it is), but here’s Amazon’s thinking. They revolutionised online shopping through: fast/free delivery; 1-click checkout; user-generated reviews/ratings,” she tweeted.
“Now they’re looking to replicate this in a physical setting. Remember when it comes to bricks & mortar, Amazon is all about experimentation.”
“My guess is they run a handful of stores in the UK, iterate on the concept and eventually fold 4-Star into something much bigger.”
