Little more than a decade after adding CE to its assortment, Amazon.com has grown from a channel upstart struggling to gain credibility with vendors to a force of nature in electronics retailing.
Indeed, the online-only retailer recently cracked the Top 10 on TWICE’s Top 100 CE Retailers ranking with an estimated $3.3 billion in electronics sales last year, and has long been perceived by Best Buy as its greatest competitive threat after Wal-Mart.
This year, amid the worst economic crisis in memory, Amazon pressed its virtual storefront advantage by adding new products and services, such as an updated Kindle, the category-defining e-book reader, and an ever-widening array of video-on-demand options — all while keeping prices competitive and sales growing by the double digits.
As CE VP Paul Ryder noted in a statement to TWICE, “We want our customers to have the best possible shopping experience. That’s why we are constantly focused on our mission of offering the broadest selection, the ultimate convenience and low prices.”
He continued: “Over the past few months, we have unveiled a host if initiatives that fall out of that core mission. We recently launched AmazonBasics, a new private-label collection of electronics ‘basics’ that combine quality and value. Additionally, we launched AmazonWireless, a new Web site by Amazon.com offering cellphones and wireless plans, easy shopping without rebate hassles, and free two-day shipping on all orders.”
The e-tailer also introduced online scheduled delivery on large items, such as flat-screen TVs, so that customers can pick delivery times that are convenient for them.
“Combined with our ability to offer customers helpful, educational content from manufacturers and [consumers] in the forms of reviews, video uploads, product descriptions and discussion boards, we believe that these initiatives enable our customers to find the right products for them and make the shopping experience as easy and enjoyable as possible,” Ryder said.
TWICE agrees, and has accordingly awarded Amazon its second win since 2005.
