Discover the top Amazon news stories in November 2019 that caught our eye.
November 23-29
Amazon hit by Black Friday walkouts and protests in Europe: BBC News reports that workers at six Amazon distribution centres in Germany have staged a Black Friday walkout in a dispute over pay and conditions. The union Verdi, which called the strike, said its members’ hard work could not be bought for “knock-down prices”. It wants Amazon staff to be part of the German retail industry’s collective bargaining structure. The strike came as protesters in France targeted Amazon centres. Continue reading…
Black Friday UK: just one in 20 discounts are genuine, research finds: Patrick Collinson at The Guardian reports that according to damning research by Which? , just one in 20 Black Friday deals are genuine. The consumer group price checked 83 items on sale on Black Friday last year and found that nearly all were cheaper or available for the same price at other times of the year. Continue reading…
Amazon shoe ‘strikingly similar’ to Allbirds model: BBC News reports that Amazon has been accused of creating a shoe “strikingly similar” to one designed by environmentally-friendly footwear manufacturer Allbirds. The shoe firm’s founders, Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger, have written an open letter to Amazon boss Jeff Bezos. They said Allbirds was “flattered” at the similarities between the products and offered to help make Amazon’s shoes “match our approach to sustainability”. Amazon has denied infringing the US firm’s designs. Continue reading…
Amazon ends creepy program that sent samples based on purchase history: Jon Fingas at Engadget reports that Amazon is ending a Product Sampling program that sent free samples of cosmetics, protein bars and other goods based on your shopping habits. While the company didn’t explain why it was closing the machine learning-based program in a statement to CNBC, it did say the initiative would shut down sometime in 2020. Continue reading…
Amazon admits to Congress that it uses ‘aggregated’ data from third-party sellers to come up with its own products: Lauren Feiner at CNBC reports that in response to questions for the record from House Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline, D-R.I., Amazon said it does not use individual third-party seller data to come up with its own products, but it does use aggregate level data. Amazon responded to a long list of questions about its practices related to a House Antitrust Subcommittee hearing over the summer. Amazon’s use of private data to shape and promote its own branded goods seems to be a key question for lawmakers and regulators probing the company’s competitive practices. Continue reading…
November 16-22
Amazon is accused on forcing up prices in antitrust complaint: Spencer Soper at Bloomberg reports that on online an online merchant has accused Amazon.com Inc. of forcing him and other sellers to use the company’s expensive logistics services, which in turn forces them to raise prices for consumers. The 62-page document, reviewed by Bloomberg, lays out an antitrust case that emphasises harm to consumers—the traditional basis for such cases in the U.S. Continue reading…
Will Nike and Ikea’s retreat from Amazon backfire? Rebecca Stewart at The Drum reports that last week, Nike U-turned on its direct seller arrangement with Amazon to instead focus on “elevating consumer experiences through more direct, personal relationships”. It’s a surprise unravelling that has raised eyebrows, but just how much do brands stand to lose by turning their back on the world’s biggest retailer?
Amazon is home to thriving businesses that turn TikTok memes into merchandise: Annie Palmer at CNBC reports that Amazon has become a hotspot for e-commerce businesses looking to make a quick buck off of internet memes. Many of the memes are made popular by users on TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and other social media platforms. Amazon makes it easy for sellers to create shirts using its Merch by Amazon program, which will print and ship shirts for a cut of sales. Continue reading…
How to watch Premier League on Amazon Prime: Kevin Lynch at Tech Radar reports Amazon has got its hands on exclusive UK live broadcast rights to a cluster of key Premier League matches during December. The games will all be shown live and in full via the internet giant’s Amazon Prime video streaming service. With a number of juicy fixtures among Amazon’s offering (including that narrative-filled Man U vs Spurs clash), no footy fan will want to miss out, and this article will show you how to get in on the action – in some cases for free. Continue reading…
Amazon and eBay ‘listing unsafe toys for sale’: BBC News reports that Amazon and eBay have failed to stop toys from being listed for sale which appear to have been declared unsafe by the EU, according to Which? The consumer group is asking the next government to make online marketplaces legally responsible for stopping dangerous products from being listed. Which? found products for sale which it believed posed a risk to children. Continue reading…
November 9-15
Nike won’t sell directly to Amazon anymore: Lauren Thomas and Elly Cosgrove at CNBC report that Nike will stop selling merchandise directly to Amazon, as part of its push to sell more directly to consumers. The abrupt halt will end a pilot test that Nike and Amazon launched together back in 2017. At the time, Nike agreed to sell a limited product assortment to Amazon, in exchange for stricter policing of counterfeits and restrictions on unsanctioned sales of its products. That included Nike’s athletic footwear, apparel and accessories. Continue reading…
Amazon strikes back at Trump over $10bn defence contract: Kiran Stacey at The Irish Times reports that Amazon will appeal the Trump administration’s decision to grant a $10 billion defence contract to its rival Microsoft, accusing the US government of having shown “unmistakable bias” in its procurement process. The company said it was lodging a legal case against the decision, following accusations that Donald Trump manipulated the process to harm Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder. Continue reading…
Alibaba Singles Day 2019 sales up 26% to $38.4 billion: Chris Dawson at Tamebay reports that Alibaba’s Singles Day 2019 saw an incredible $38.4 billion worth of sales in a single day making it the biggest ever single day’s sale in history. It’s an increase of around 26% on 2018 and firmly cements Singles Day as bigger than Black Friday Cyber Monday combined. This was the first Single Day without Jack Ma. Continue reading…
Facebook Pay brings new payments to Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook: Mike Moore at TechRadar reports that Facebook has unveiled a new payments platform aimed at making it easier to send money online. Facebook Pay will work not just across the social network, but also on Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram, allowing users to transfer funds to their friends and contacts on any of those apps. Continue reading…
Oprah’s favourite food, drink and kitchen things on Amazon for 2019: Jen Wheeler at CNET reports that Oprah’s favourite things on Amazon for 2019 are here, and we want pretty much all of them. But we don’t have Oprah’s budget, so we’ve picked some specific wishlist items mostly focused on food, drink and kitchen goodies. Oprah’s annual list of favourite things has historically contained a lot of bougie items we could only dream of purchasing for our friends and family (or ourselves for that matter). Continue reading…
November 1-8
Changes to Amazon.com A-to-z Guarantee Policy: Chris Dawson at Tamebay reports that Amazon US has announced a change to the A-to-z Guarantee claim policy requiring sellers to provide a response to a return request within 48 hours. This leads on from requiring a customer to submit a return request prior to being able to file an A-to-z claim. In other words, they can’t complain about a product without giving the merchant a chance to put things right or accept a return. Continue reading…
Number of Amazon sellers offering Prime up 50% in three years: Joe at Marketplace Pulse reports that according to Marketplace Pulse research, the number of top sellers offering Prime has grown from 56% in 2016, 63% in 2017, 73% in 2018, to 85% in 2019. There are hundreds of thousands of sellers offering Prime shipping on tens of millions of products. Very few international sellers do not offer Prime – 93% of the top international sellers offer it, compared to 74% for US-based sellers. Continue reading…
Amazon is blowing Black Friday apart with 8 solid days of deals: Jeff Parsons at The Metro reports that Amazon’s Black Friday promotion will now stretch to a dizzying eight days of sales. Black Friday itself is slated for November 29, but Amazon will be launching its reductions from 00.01 on November 22 and leaving them open all the way until 23.59 on the 29th. The tech giant is promising ‘deals of the day’ for every day that week and will also continue its ‘lightning deals’. Continue reading…
Amazon makes grocery delivery free for Prime members: Jordan Valinsky at CNN Business reports that Amazon is eliminating its fee for grocery delivery in the United States as competition heats up in the rapidly expanding food delivery business. Previously, Amazon charged Prime members a $14.99 monthly subscription fee for its Amazon Fresh online grocery delivery service. Two-hour Whole Foods deliveries were free for many Prime customers through Amazon’s Prime Now delivery app. But from last Tuesday, grocery delivery from Amazon Fresh is free for Prime members who have previously used the grocery-delivery service. Continue reading…
Amazon replaces “reviews” with “ratings”: Joe at Marketplace Pulse reports that Amazon has expanded product reviews by allowing shoppers to leave a star rating without a written review. The company has been testing the change since September, and committed to it last week by changing the wording on the website to “ratings.” The overall star rating now includes feedback from customers who simply rated the product as well as the traditional reviews with text, images, or video. Continue reading…
Quote of the month:
“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.”
Steve Jobs
