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Wal-Mart, Amazon Battle For Online Retail's Future
Hugh Pickens writes "The NY Times reports that Amazon and Wal-Mart are waging a price war for the future of online retailing that is spreading through product areas like books, movies, toys, and electronics. The tussle began last month over which company had the lowest prices on the most anticipated new books and DVDs this fall, but has now spread to select video game consoles, mobile phones, even to the humble Easy-Bake Oven. 'It's not about the prices of books and movies anymore. There is a bigger battle being fought,' said Fiona Dias, executive vice president at GSI Commerce, which manages the Web sites of large retailers. 'The price-sniping by Wal-Mart is part of a greater strategic plan. They are just not going to cede their business to Amazon.' Wal-Mart, with $405 billion in sales last year, dominates by offering affordable prices to Middle America in its 4,000 stores, while Amazon, with $20 billion in sales, caters mostly to affluent urbanites who would rather not push around a cart. But Amazon is expanding its slice of the retail pie at an alarming rate — its sales shot up 28 percent in the third quarter of this year; and sales in Amazon's electronics and general merchandise business are up 44 percent. 'We have to put our foot down and refuse to let them grow more powerful,' says Dias. 'I applaud Wal-Mart. It's about time multichannel retailers stood up and refused to let their business go away.'"
Last Wednesday, Wal-Mart dropped the price of the oven to $17, from $28, as part of its "Black Friday" deals. Later the same day, Amazon cut its price, which had also been $28, to $18.
Well, color me confused, I see it as $18 on both Walmart's and Amazon's site.
It began last month with what appeared to be a public-relations-oriented competition on book prices, with both companies (along with Target, based in Minneapolis) dropping prices on books like "Under the Dome," by Stephen King, to below $9.
What? Walmart: $14.49 Amazon: $14.50
Don't get me wrong, this is great news for consumers but I think you're just seeing preperation for a Black Friday feeding frenzy and not actual 'price wars.'
'I applaud Wal-Mart. It's about time multichannel retailers stood up and refused to let their business go away.'
Wal-Mart stays away from heavily populated areas and makes most of its bank from the heartland anyway. I actually see this as Wal-Mart trying to steal a piece of the online pie if it isn't just a little bit of good ole capitalistic competition. If you think Wal-Mart's been losing business, their stock sure isn't showing it.
My work here is dung.
Amazon has one distinct advantage: I will never buy anything from Walmart. That doesn't necessarily mean I will buy it from them instead, but at least I'm more likely to.
Wal-Mart ... dominates by offering affordable prices to Middle America... while Amazon ... caters mostly to affluent urbanites
Because we all know how there are no Wal-Marts along the East or West Coasts, and those backward "middle Americans" don't have the Internet.
For now, until one of them cedes, or make a competitive deal, even those of us who avoid Wally World like the plague. Then we all lose, but for now I'm at least entertained seeing Walmart with an adversary.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. indymedia
Fast shipping. Great customer service. Better prices. And most importantly there are better/quality reviews on Amazon. Sorry Walmart... and btw even locally I would go to Target instead of Walmart.
Q: I am short, useless and provide no value. What am I? A: a sig
Remember all those quirky startups? That was a dead end. The new economy is 3 or 4 giant retailers selling everything.
Huzzah!
In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
At TFA points out, Amazon serves more affluent urban populations that prefer to make their purchases online and thus avoid unnecessary trips to pick up items which can just as well be delivered. Not to mention the fact that many of these wealthier urban dwellers live in higher tax states and in higher cost cities where using Amazon doesn't add sales tax (New York being an notable exception) and the nearest WalMart might be a bit of a drive (assuming that they even own a private vehicle). Amazon also has a sophisticated website and online order fulfillment system, including a strong franchise in intelligent and automated recommendations, which they have built up over many years of successful business and feedback; WalMart is definitely playing catchup here. On the other hand, WalMart practically wrote the book on retail supply chain management (the TFA points out that Amazon has poached talent from WalMart in the past to improve their own supply chain logistics) and has detailed regional knowledge of consumer trends and which items maximize profits and at what prices. Amazon has their affiliate program, but these affiliates are often unable to match the prices offered by WalMart when Amazon itself doesn't stock the items in question. IMHO, in the long run, both companies will continue to be successful and while there will be battles over turf (DVDs, Books, Electronics, etc) there are sufficient differences in consumer preferences to accommodate both business models going forward.
No matter who wins, the money still goes to China.
You think that's bad? Try being in Canada. It's like a whole other country. ;) For most stores, the online policy is "you should order lube too, because Customs is going to ream you with a cheese grater".
Add 12% tax, $5 customs handling, $45 brokerage, ~$20 shipping, and 6% duty onto just about anything you buy from the US online. Then wait 4-6 weeks for the item to arrive.
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ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
let alone laws governing what can and cannot be shipped to where it is pretty easy to understand that one of the biggest hurdles of establishing a new business is government.
I code for distribution systems myself and the complexity of where items can go, the taxes on each per locale, and even how they must be transported, are mind boggling. Too many times competition includes fighting local governments who seem to find ways to create fines based on that day's interpretation of a law
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
Yes! Down with the Amazon monopoly! Give the underdog with twenty times the annual sales a chance! Preserve competition!
This is like two pox-ridden whores fighting over which one gets to service the local hockey team. Whoever comes out on top, the only winner is the guy selling condoms, and the only thing certain is that a lot of people are going to get screwed.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
Wal-Mart has been the purveyor of crap for many years now. They push companies close to bankruptcy by insisting that the suppliers' margins be pennies per unit - or they push companies to produce cheaper, crappy Wal-Mart versions of their product with a decent profit margin, but agreeing to do it Wal-Mart's way can ruin your company by tarnishing your reputation. When Joe Sixpack buys your Wal-Mart model TV, your Wal-Mart model computer, or your Wal-Mart lawn mower and the thing turns out to be a piece of crap. Your company's name will be tarnished, and you will get the blame, not Wal-Mart. You might make millions in the short term but over the long term, think about shutting down your company and starting a new one,
Check out the Snapper story (the man who said no to walmart)
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/102/open_snapper.html
I shop at Wal-Mart for some things. I don't buy most appliances there though. I buy underwear, DVDs, and personal care items. Electronics, appliances I want to last for more than six months, and other bigger-ticket items I will buy elsewhere.
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
Ahhh. You must have used UPS. Pretty much everyone I know here (Ontario) avoids them for cross border shipping. They hit you with a tonne of hidden and unexpected charges and I know people who have been burnt really bad by this (ended up paying more than just buying it retail here)
Prices have since changed, so the prices you've found don't reflect historical pricing. As for the "Black Friday feeding frenzy" vs. price wars... those aren't mutually exclusive. Periods of high sales volume are when it's most important to be able to adjust prices relevant to competition -- especially if engaged in a price war to capture volume.
Hah. How many Walmarts are there in NJ, the nation's most densely populated state? Lots. How about the San Francisco Bay area, as another poster pointed out?
At any rate, it is competition. What cracks me up is that someone siding with Walmart is claiming that Amazon is trying to drive B&M shops out of existence, and Walmart must defend B&M retail outlets against the predations of Amazon. Seems to me that Amazon is playing the same game Walmart played that drove all the traditional retailers out of business... giving customers lower prices due to reduced overhead.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
don't forget Amazon Prime. $80/yr for free 2-day shipping? That's a guaranteed money-loser for them. And I'm shocked by what they include in that offer. They've sent me all sorts of heavy and bulky items including a 70-pound air compressor and a storage cabinet that was about 4'x4'x3', all free 2-day shipping. Beats driving to the store any day. It also gets you upgrades to overnight shipping for $3.99, so unless you absolutely must have it this instant, online shopping wins.
Add 12% tax, $5 customs handling, $45 brokerage, ~$20 shipping, and 6% duty onto just about anything you buy from the US online.
I was under the impression that Canadians liked paying taxes.
Amazon does not really have to compete on price. While at worst people might be agnostic towards Amazon, they hate Walmart.
Very few people are going to dump Amazon merely because the Evil Empire's a little cheaper. Buying is more than merely getting a product. The actual buying is but a small part of a larger service.
It's similar to Newegg. Newegg does not always have the lowest prices. But I know they ship the same day so I'll get it quickly and they'll fix any problems if something goes wrong. So if it's tech related, I almost always buy from Newegg. For nearly everything else, I use Amazon.
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
I was under the impression that Canadians liked paying taxes.
Well played, my American friend. :-)
Signed, A Canadian, eh
Let's see if they lower the price on Apple products.
I do a lot of cross-border pickups, both for myself and for work, and can tell you that they do start to care if they see you often enough. They do get a good laugh out of what you would have paid for it here in Canada though.
Getting in is easy, just tell them you're driving across to save yourself the ridiculous shipping and brokerage fees. As for getting out, just tell them where you were, show them the invoice, sign the form, pay the bill and off you go. Bonus points if you drive across with an empty tank and fill up on cheap gas while you're down there.
If you're in or near Winnipeg, Connie's Depot in Walhalla, ND charges $5 (USD or CAD) for small packages and $15 per pallet. There's also a gas station half a block south so you can get the aforementioned cheap gas.
They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. - Terry Pratchett
And it creates massive piles in landfills and burns our limited fuels in production and transport. No thanks.