Every now and again I like to reflect on something I have been doing for a long time. Amazon Prime has been a no-brainer for me for more than two decades because it saves me time, provides a better selection, and generally offers a better price. Free shipping seals the deal. What’s not to love?
Twenty years ago Amazon $AMZN was the only game in town. This has changed considerably - especially in the last 5 years.
Major brands and retailers have invested enough to finally offer a similar customer experience. You can go to a specialty retailer like Tennis Warehouse and while it may not be quite as simple as Amazon “one-click” it’s pretty easy.
Brands have invested in D2C as well. Asics, Uniqlo, and Robert Graham all go direct. Some premium brands don’t make their products available via other online retailers like Amazon. The latter fact means that when you search on Amazon you may not always find specific brands or the best products.
Some niche online companies like Chewy $CHWY have become our “go-to” for categories of products like pet food.
All this leads to the reality that we now use multiple online sources and they work well or better than Amazon for their specific use-case. The number is getting bigger - pets, sports, furniture, tools, etc.
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