On The Web

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Companies

The Value Chain Constraint

February 26 2019

• in
• Amazon
• Walmart

“Walmart was able to integrate wholesale purchasing with an expansive network of stores; this provided a moat of sustainably lower prices for customer driven by purchasing power over suppliers. Amazon, though, thanks to technological innovation — specifically, the Internet — was able to build a different integration in the value chain:”

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Companies

Amazon Web Services Brought in More Money Than McDonald’s in 2018

February 1 2019

• in
• Amazon

“To put that in context, Amazon’s cloud-computing business in 2018 took in a bit less than all of Mondelez International, the multinational snack and beverage conglomerate, which reported $25.9 billion in revenue for the year ended Dec. 31. It is barely less than the $25.8 billion in revenue Macy’s generated in all of 2017 (Macy’s […]

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Companies

Jeff Bezos and Jamie Dimon: Best of Frenemies

January 7 2019

• in
• Amazon
• JPMorgan Chase

“The fortunes of the two companies have become more entwined over the years. They are closely connected through a credit-card deal struck when the retailer was still mostly selling books and CDs on the internet. JPMorgan is in talks to partner with Amazon on a number of financial ventures, and the bank lends to the […]

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Companies

Amazon ditches Dash Buttons as Mobile and Voice Commerce Take Over

March 1 2019

• in
• Amazon
• Voice interface

“Amazon will stop selling the buttons from the end of February and, while those that have them can continue to use them, anyone wanting to buy one now is out of luck. Amazon said: “We’ve seen customers increasingly using programs like Alexa Shopping, which provides a hands free shopping experience, and Subscribe & Save, which lets […]

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Companies

Exclusive: Mexican central bank in talks with Amazon about new…

March 6 2019

• in
• Amazon
• Mexico
• QR codes

“It would be the first time the world’s largest online retailer offers such scanning technology in Mexico and could eventually open a new customer base in a nation where more than half of the population has no bank account. The payment system, known as CoDi, is being built by central bank Banco de México, known as […]

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Companies

Amazon Exec Tells Employees That Go Stores Will Accept Cash to Address ‘Discrimination’ Concerns

April 11 2019

• in
• Amazon
• Cash

“Kessel highlighted some of the new payment methods Amazon has recently added to its site, including a pilot that accepts government subsidized SNAP benefits and a new program called Amazon Cash, which lets users add cash to their digital accounts by bringing money to a local store like 7-Eleven or CVS.”

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Companies

Amazon’s E-Commerce Adventure in China Proved Too Much of a Jungle

April 18 2019

• in
• Amazon
• Remote Commerce

“The company told sellers on Thursday that it will no longer operate its third-party online marketplace or provide seller services on its Chinese website, Amazon.cn, beginning July 18. As a result, domestic companies will no longer be able to sell products to Chinese consumers on its e-commerce platform.”

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Companies

Amazon to Shut All U.S. Pop-Up Stores As It Rethinks Physical Retail Strategy

March 7 2019

• in
• Amazon

““After much review, we came to the decision to discontinue our pop-up kiosk program,” an Amazon spokeswoman confirmed to The Wall Street Journal. The closings are expected by the end of next month, some employees at Amazon pop-up stores said. These shops typically occupy a few hundred square feet of space and showcase devices like […]

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Companies

Bezos Says Third-party Amazon Sellers Are “Kicking Our Butt”

April 12 2019

• in
• Amazon

“t’s not often you see a CEO so sanguine about an ass whooping. “Something strange and remarkable has happened over the last 20 years,” Amazon’s Jeff Bezos said in his annual letter to shareholders . “Third-party sales have grown from 3% of the total to 58%. To put it bluntly: Third-party sellers are kicking our […]

On The Wires

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Companies

Amazon.com Announces Fourth Quarter Sales up 20% to $72.4 Billion

February 4 2019

• in
• Amazon

“Operating cash flow increased 67% to $30.7 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $18.4 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2017. Free cash flow increased to $19.4 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $8.3 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2017.”