This is a head-to-head battle where we, the customer, are the real winners. Speed, personalization, satisfaction, ratings/reviews, next day delivery are all enhanced by the power of artificial intelligence (ai) and the investments currently being made by Walmart and Amazon.
Also, keep an eye on Rakuten and Alibaba. If they are able to gain a foothold in the U.S. that would only further ratchet up the competition.
Walmart’ battle with Amazon has new fronts: Digital ads and A.I.
Doug McMillon – http://linkedin.com/in/dougmcmillon
- “CEO Doug McMillon says the company is on track to become more of a “digital enterprise.”
- It surpassed Apple in 2018 to become the third-largest online retailer in the country, trailing only Amazon and eBay, according to eMarketer.
- This week, the company started rolling out next-day delivery for online orders in three markets in the U.S., with plans to reach 75% of the country before the year is over.”
Walmart Acquisitions
- “In February, it bought Aspectiva, a start-up that looks at a customer’s browsing behavior and helps make product recommendations
- We know it bought Jet.com for $3.3 billion in 2017.
- Walmart’s acquisition of plus-size fashion brand Eloquii last fall was reported to be $100 million.
- A person familiar had told CNBC that Walmart’s acquisition of Art.com had cost about the same.”
Amazon Sellers More Loyal as Dependence Grows
- “Amazon last year became the third largest ad platform in the U.S., behind only Google and Facebook.
- Feedvisor, the “AI-first” optimization and intelligence platform for large sellers and brands on Amazon, today unveiled its State of the Amazon Marketplace 2019 report.
- The percentage of sellers who plan to expand to Walmart (17 percent) and eBay (10 percent) declined from last year, by 8 and 9 percent respectively.
- “Amazon has become the go-to shopping destination — nearly three-quarters of consumers go straight to the platform when they are ready to purchase a product,” said Dani Nadel, President and Chief Operating Officer, Feedvisor.
- With Amazon’s customer-centric business model, an overwhelming majority (95 percent) of sellers said ratings and reviews are important to their business on Amazon.”
https://www.ecommercebytes.com/2019/05/17/amazon-sellers-more-loyal-as-dependence-grows/