#Amazon
Jeff Bezos will step down as Amazon CEO
Amazon unveiled its latest earnings report today – and with it came the news that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos would be stepping down. Yes, the big time CEO and founder of Amazon will no longer be in the top seat, planning to move to the role of Executive Chair later this year. Set to move […]
What happens to Amazon’s second HQ now?
The saga of Amazon’s second HQ location seemed to be a done deal by the end of 2018, with Arlington, Virginia, and Queens, New York, being the two locations picked. But, fierce opposition to placing the HQ in Long Island City in Queens has led the retailer to pull out of the decision. Once again, a […]
Eight must-haves for high revenue ecommerce sites now that Amazon has landed in Australia
Ecommerce is growing rapidly in Australia – with a 14 per cent growth in online purchases in the 2017 financial year[1]. Forrester predicts that a quarter of total retail sales in Asia Pacific will be completed online by 2022[2]. The arrival of Amazon in Australia will most likely accelerate this growth trajectory. How do Australian e-tailers […]
Why being respected in business is much more profitable than desperately trying to be liked
Here are the ten brands with the most loyal customers in 2017. A list compiled by US consultancy Brand Keys from 740 brands across 83 industries. Can you spot the attribute that’s common to each? Amazon (retail) Google Apple (tablets) Netflix Apple (smartphones) Amazon (video streaming) Samsung Facebook Amazon (tablets) YouTube Yes, they are all […]
Australian businesses can now opt for Amazon orders to be fulfilled by the ecommerce giant
Businesses registered to sell products through Amazon’s Australian Marketplace can now harness the ecommerce giant’s logistics capabilities to reduce the burden of fulfilling online orders. Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) enables sellers to store stock at Amazon’s fulfilment centre and have the company pick, pack and ship products to customers on their behalf, eliminating the need […]
“We’ll see a two-speed sector develop”: Seven retail experts share their 2018 predictions
There was a massive shift in the retail sector, last year, with ecommerce giant Amazon making its long-awaited debut as some of the incumbents continued to see diminishing returns. As the Amazon saga continues to play out, with a question marking hanging over the longer-term impact, we asked seven industry experts to gaze into their […]
SEEK reveals voice-activated job search and career insights for Amazon Alexa devices
To coincide with the forthcoming local launch of Amazon’s cloud-based, AI-powered voice assistant Alexa, online employment market SEEK has announced a compatible voice-activated job search. According to Amazon, three Alexa-enabled, voice-controlled speakers – the Echo, Echo Plus and Echo Dot – will ship from the company’s local website “beginning early February”, with the devices also […]
Don’t let your business underestimate Amazon – they have a secret weapon (and so can you)
Amazon’s recent Australian launch received a lukewarm reception, with average prices and faster shipping being the only apparent selling points. What you can’t see though is that their competitive advantage is behind-the-scenes of its website. Amazon embraces testing and experimentation, otherwise known as Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO). Amazon succeeds where other online retailers fail because […]
A guide to the low-risk, low-cost solutions that will help SMEs thrive in the Amazon era
As 2017 draws to a close, eMarketer [1] predicts that Australian ecommerce sales will reach $32.56 billion. Of this, it is estimated that $20.15 billion, or 62 percent, will be driven by online retail sales. [2] For Australian businesses working in ecommerce, this should be an exciting time filled with opportunity, instead, for the past year […]
Focus on what you can ‘uniquely own’ on Amazon, BigCommerce CEO tells e-tailers
Small Australian retailers need to figure out what they can ‘uniquely own’ on Amazon and not waste their time on products that won’t win them the Buy Box, according to Brent Bellm, the CEO of ecommerce solutions provider BigCommerce. Bellm described Amazon as the “best online retailer we’ve ever seen”, adding that the company […]
Amazon takes off in Australia
Global retail giant Amazon has today officially entered Australia’s $300 billion retail market, with ‘millions’ of products across 23 categories – from books and music through to consumer electronics and clothing – now available for purchase through its local website. Here’s Amazon Australia at a glance… Orders fulfilled by Amazon Australia are being shipped from […]
How can your business harness AI?
Artificial Intelligence makes headlines every day: alternately promising to save the world, or destroy it completely. There’s no doubt that it holds exciting potential for businesses. A new global study by Capgemini found that 83 percent of firms surveyed reported that AI generated new roles, with three-quarters seeing an uplift in sales related to AI […]
Feed unconscious minds, embrace good failure: Dr Amantha Imber talks innovation strategies
Businesses risk being disrupted if they don’t create environments where people can sit in their ‘challenge sweet spot’, have freedom to express crazy ideas and feel safe to fail meaningfully, according to Dr Amantha Imber, the CEO of innovation consultancy Inventium. Prior to founding Inventium a decade ago, Imber – a 2016 inductee into the […]
Amazon a ‘worthy opponent’ for retailers but can’t offer ‘retail as entertainment,’ says NRA
With Amazon having its soft launch in Australia, today, Dynamic Business spoke with Dominique Lamb, the CEO of the National Retail Association (NRA) who admitted the ecommerce giant was a ‘worthy opponent’ for local retailers but one that can’t satisfy demand for ‘retail as entertainment’. [Related: Let’s Talk… Ecommerce and If you can’t beat them, join […]
Fostering diversity in the tech industry
Diversity has been a hot topic of conversation in the tech industry since 2014 (if not earlier). In that time we’ve seen major companies like Facebook, Google, Amazon, and IBM release diversity plans, recruitment strategies and statistical reports, all in the name of demonstrating and achieving improved gender, racial, and other minority equality. Substantial efforts […]
Amazon put on notice to comply with Australian unfair contract terms legislation
Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer has been reminded of its obligation to comply with Australian unfair contract terms legislation ahead of its imminent arrival in Australia. Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell said analysis of the Amazon Marketplace contract terms in the United States suggested they would have to be changed […]
Shippit taps into BigCommerce customer base
By partnering with ecommerce platform BigCommerce, Sydney-based logistics startup Shippit has gained access to “thousands of new customers”, says co-founder and joint-CEO, William On. The partnership enables BigCommerce customers to access enterprise shipping rates and shipping carrier discounts via Shippit’s logistics management platform, which determine the best courier for a merchant, then fulfills the […]
Slingshot launching retail accelerator ahead of Amazon’s arrival: “It is no coincidence”
Ahead of Amazon’s arrival in Australia, corporate accelerator Slinghot and retail network NORA have partnered to launch Australia’s first retail tech accelerator. According to Slingshot CEO Karen Lawson, the 12-week ‘RetailTech’ program will assist a consortium of four large-scale retail companies (including logistics and payments businesses) to ‘fast-track’ the development of new revenue streams, processes […]
While the tech giants are eating one another, startups have a chance to change the rules
The world’s once-disruptive tech giants have become increasingly preoccupied with cannibalising one other, leaving themselves vulnerable to disruption by nimble Aussie startups with global ambitions, according to Cheryl Mack, the head of StartCon, which returns to Sydney this December. The tech startup conference and expo will run from 1 to 2 December at Royal Randwick […]
How e-tailers can optimise sales in four steps
Australia’s ecommerce landscape is continuing to transform at a rapid rate. The entry of new marketplaces, the proliferation of pay-later services, and a growing range of delivery options are fundamentally conditioning and changing consumer behaviour with the expectation that online transactions of goods and services be quick and easy. Aussies are continuing to embrace these […]
Amazon’s impending entry into Australia is forcing SMEs to adopt innovative technology
Three in four SMEs (76%) have invested in technology over the last 12 months to boost their innovative capacity, according to research undertaken by cloud accounting provider MYOB. Other key findings from MYOB’s latest Business Monitor, which involved a survey of more than 1000 business owners and directors, also found that: Almost a third of […]
Amazon is coming, so get busy – invest in knowing your customers, up your game
When it comes to Amazon’s entry to Australian retail, there are many and varied opinions on the likely extent of its impact. No one knows for sure what will ensue. Will Amazon disrupt Australian retail? And if it does, to what degree? Or will it resort to a competitive fight with retailers in this diverse […]
The future of customer engagement is mobile e-commerce: what your brand can do to prepare
As e-commerce continues to evolve, brands need to be innovative in how they engage with mobile customers. With 79% of all online retail sales projected to be completed via smartphones by 2021[1], brands need to deliver more mobile-friendly experiences, as well as find consistent communication channels to remain relevant. Meanwhile, technology is inspiring brands to […]
Warehouse Management in the Era of Amazon
If you keep yourself updated in the retail game, it shouldn’t be news to you that American giant Amazon is going to cross into Australian borders with the speculation of destroying Australian retailers [1]. For any small business owner, the thought of a radical change in competition is frown worthy. It goes without saying that […]