Words to Live By

"Be bold enough to live today in spite of what might wait for you tomorrow."

Amazon.com has a lock on the book market (new and used), and in a very large sense, until they release their nonsensical patent on one-click ordering "process," they also have a lock on the eCommerce market. Since people are already accustomed to ordering from Amazon, it would take a serious shock to entice them to order from anyone else, if they could get it from Amazon.

In other words, your company either has to be amazing, or you have to wait for Amazon to seriously screw up. If their recent track record for continuous improvement is any indication, waiting for Amazon to screw up puts you on the slow track (if not the "no-track") for success.

This is why, when devising a strategy for the future in ecommerce, it's important to go beyond what is already being done. Rising to the level of adequate puts your company in the position to capture the scraps that fall from the table, but it does not earn you a seat. - Cam Beck

Comments

[Roger von Oech]

Interesting take.

I buy my fair share of books on Amazon, but the one place they can't really compete with real, physical bookstores is the "browsing experience."

How many times have you gone into a bookstore with one idea, and walked out with books from an entirely different area, all because these books were laid out nicely on the "New" or "Staff Recommened" tables?

[Cam Beck]

Ah... You know what? I should have said "Amazon has a lock on the book market online."

I did not mean to suggest they beat out bookstores, although they've taken a serious cut into their share, as well.