Amazon seems poised to be the next Google. Can they live up to that hype? Are they THAT good? I am a very faithful Amazon shopper. I don't really even use google to search for products anymore, I simply start at Amazon. This is because for some time now, every time I look for a product online, I ended up buying it from Amazon. I recently signed up for their Prime service after holding out for many years. When I realized that they were combining their 2 day free shipping with their video service, I finally jumped in. I had no idea (until I had it) how amazing free 2 day shipping is! I order something and it is there either the next day or the following at no extra cost! I also recently had a few negative experiences (items that didn't ship, pricing changes) that I wrote in to Amazon about. I was very impressed with how quickly and generously they fixed the situation for me. I was fortunate enough to buy a few shares of AMZN right before their earnings call in January. On a high from my positive experience I had a strong feeling that they were going to do well. Sure enough, I made a few hundred bucks from their huge gain over the next few weeks. I sold those shares because I felt like the majority of the momentum had slowed down, but I feel confident that Amazon is going to be a major player in the coming years. Thoughts? Have you had good or bad experiences with Amazon? Do you think they have what it takes to be the future of shopping? What are their weaknesses that could be their downfall?
I've been shopping on Amazon for more than ten years now and I think the main ingredient of their success is the impeccable customer service. Many other online vendors don't have nearly as user-friendly forms of customer service. With Amazon I know I can e-mail or even call or ask to receive a call (a very unique feature of theirs) to to address any issue that pops up. Customer service is everything in business and leaving a good impression on buyers creates a loyal consumer base that has allowed them to become very singular in their field. I do wish there were more alternatives to Amazon though, most of the other online vendors either commit to a particular niche or try to be like Amazon but pale in comparison. The only other shopping site that is really as special to me is eBay.
I wouldn't say Amazon is a big threat to Google, they do quite different things mostly. I'm very faithful to Amazon too, really never been disappointed as they always have such great prices and amazing customer service. If only shipping wasn't so much internationally.
I don't think so. They are quite different from each other, but both are competitive and also doing pretty well. But we all know that Google has the upper hand when it comes to search engines, it's still the leader of them all, so I think it's not about to lose its magic as of yet.
I trust Amazon like I trust no other website for shopping due to their customer service and satisfaction guarantee. It's my go to for deals and price comparison shopping on hard to find items. Your experience can also depend on the Amazon store you purchase from. I usually look for the source of the item when choosing which items to put in my cart. Or at least stores with high ratings and great reviews. Their reviews are also very reliable in gauging quality of items and shipping experience. As far as being the next Google, they are already Amazon. Apples and oranges in my opinion. One is a successful marketplace the other is a successful...everything else on the web.
Amazon is the best thing since sliced bread to me. It is the first place I go to when I am looking to buy something online whether it be new or used. I used to go to them only for books, but now I have broadened my searches there to just about everything I need. Their customer service is also amazing. Last week someone got into my Amazon account, we think through my son's Kindle and purchased a $250 gift card on my account. Amazon actually called me about it right after it happened because somehow it was flagged as suspicious on their end. I told them that I did not make the purchase and they promptly canceled the order and my bank accounted was credited back the very next day. I was so pleased with them.
You can find anything you need on Amazon and usually at the lowest price too. I agree that the customer service is second-to-none, although I'm sure people will have thier own horror stories. I wouldn't say it was the next Google though...
I can't say enough about Amazon. I've bought many things from there and trust them more than any other online store. I've bought from Amazon themselves and third party sellers. I have only had two problems one with a buyer and one with a seller. I was able to return the item no problem and got the replacement fast. As far as the buyer, they might have been telling the truth when they said they received their item late but it all seemed sketchy so I reported to Amazon about it. I haven't got a notice since so it must be okay. I'm sure there are plenty of people that have had problems with them but obviously that is not me. They've always made me feel like a valued customer.
I'm pretty good with shopping from Amazon, but I don't know if Prime is worth it any more. Every year, they seem to hike up the price for a Prime membership exponentially. Also, trying to get things to qualify for free shipping is a pain in the ass frankly, due to all the different vendors who are NOT Amazon. They also upped the free shipping threshold from 25 to 35 and that made me pretty upset when it happened. I still use Amazon, but not the end all be all of online shopping any more. Even more so when China has wiggled there way through the door into the American online shopping arena.
There are things I like about Amazon, but there are also concerns I have about the company as well. In some ways I believe Google is going to have a tough time trying to usurp them as an online shopping portal, even with Google's own Product Listing Ads now showing up in the search results, to compete with Amazon showing up in their own SERPs. Many people just go directly to Amazon rather than do a search on Google, and there's nothing Google can really do about those users. I like how Amazon brings together thousands of small and independent vendors in one convenient shopping portal. However I dislike how they treat their employees, particularly the people working in their warehouses, but I've also heard their executive and management positions are very stressful too - apparently they are very hard to get hired by, but they also have a high turnover rate because they are very cutthroat with their employees. Their warehouse employees are forced to wait, off the clock, so they can be checked for any stolen merchandise, before they can leave each day - which they've filed a class action lawsuit over. That's BS making people wait, sometimes up to 45 minutes, before they are permitted to leave, but not paying them for their time. Google on the other hand is widely known for pampering the hell out of their employees. Also, while Amazon's shopping portal itself is very successful, their forays into hardware have pretty much all bombed, with the exception of maybe Amazon Fire TV, but even that is trailing behind it's competitors. The Amazon phone in particular was pretty much DOA.
Yeah as much as I love Amazon, I wouldn't pay for Prime but of course I don't like having subscriptions anyway. It's just another bill to worry about and they don't have a lot of shows available to watch online. I just opt for the free trial whenever it's available.
For me, Prime was not worth it because I actually do not purchase enough to justify the $75 per year membership fee. You do get free shipping, but I did not spend enough to make it worth paying the fee. I know that you can also stream videos and stuff with Prime, but I am not a big "streamer".
Amazon will never overtake Google. That said, the internet has plenty of room for both of them. I have had the occasional problem with an Amazon order, but they have always made it up to me and then some. I do have a problem with Prime Instant Video. For one, they need more quality prime-included content. But, more important than that, their streaming is not as reliable as Netflix, and their app (at least on Roku) is downright embarrassing sometimes with the boot outs and force closes. I always think, they are Amazon - they could take the feedback from their customers (and there is a LOT of it) and improve at least the functionality of it. I can't complain too much, though. I get the student price on Prime and it is extremely worth it at $49 for a year of 2-day shipping and streaming!
Well for now I never had a bad experience, but you know as they want to grow their business, they have to invest in other products, like amazon video, amazon music streaming, so they can keep updated with the market, and grow their profit, but as they provide quality experience and service, for me it's good.
I am very impressed with Amazon. I ended up with prime kind of accidentally. I signed up for a free month but forgot what day of the month I signed up, checked back and realized I was 2 days late to cancel, so now that I ended up paying for it, I'm making the most of the benefits. I think I will be able to save some money this year by price checking everything I buy and getting things on Amazon that are slightly lower priced. Since prime is paid for, even a small amount less on Amazon will be a reason to buy there since the shipping is already paid for in the membership.
Um... to go as far as to buy Amazon stock, that's the kind of loyalty equivalent that could be thrown towards a mom and pop store, but the fact that it didn't go that way means that -- despite the "issues" with Amazon prime, you went as far as to buy shares. I'm going to say that their mp3 service is a fail for those who don't want to use a cloud to stream their files, as it feels less like those files are ours and really rely on the mindset that we can just stream anything with a fake sense of ownership. Other than that, I have no problem with their eBook system, which certainly benefits indie authors.
Yes, well the services like their apps are only as good as the devices they're on. Haven't we learned yet from the combined ISPs and variety OSs? It's a fight that a lot of us are having all the time which just shows that Amazon is pushing the boundaries of innovation -- standing ovation -- while the rest of us have to manage with what we have -- thumbs down, what can you do? So, I can't fully throw my weight in the direction of anything past their free services which are already powerful and all-knowing, anyway. Sorry to say this but, those who pay more for the service accidentally or on purpose, are certainly creating that line of "haves" and "have nots," which is only disappointing because it's overkill.
I love Amazon! I have been shopping with them since 2000, when I got my first computer. Back then, there were a lot of promotions involving free Amazon gift certificates, so I got hooked on them fast! The customer service under their founder , Jeff Bezos, was fantastic! I was so afraid that when he sold the company, that would change. I got my answer to that when my order was mixed up with someone else's. I received his item, and he got mine. I reported to Amazon what had happened and they sent me a new item, before I returned the other one! I was very happy to see that we hadn't lost that great customer service! That's what Jeff Bezos was all about, and that's what made Amazon #1. As long as they never lose that, they can accomplish anything!
I love Amazon and have been shopping there (not exclusive though) since 2010. I moved to Canada in 2011 and almost wept when I noticed how far behind Amazon Canada was. No more 1cent books *tear drop*. Amazon Canada has gotten so much better in the past 4 years though. But, often times shopping on the US amazon (dot com) and getting it shipped to Canada is still much cheaper than Amazon (dot ca). I usually start off by searching on dot com for a product and switching to dot ca to check for availability and to compare prices. Amazon is great!
I don't know about "the next Google" so much as "the next Barnes & Noble" or "the next Radio Shack" or "the next J.C.Penney's, Home Depot, BLOCKBUSTER, etc." That is, Google has always been 'the web-search people' to me---maybe 'cartographers (map-makers) of the virtual world.' (Yes, I do do all of my searching withLog In; but 'Google started it!'---and yes, I used to do all my searching with THEM!... I still have aLog In in my browser!) I've 'had an Amazon Bookstore' for I don't know how long (and hardly ever sold anything there). I don't think they'll have any downfall as long as people never expect them to be anything more than 'a smart way to get interesting products.'
