SEATTLE—Small businesses are getting a lift from the biggest online retailer in the nation.
Amazon has launched a new section of its website called Amazon Storefronts, which exclusively features products sold by American-owned small and mid-sized businesses.
Amazon Storefronts currently includes more than one-million products from 20,000 businesses across all 50 states. According to Amazon, half the products sold on their website come from small and medium-sized businesses. Storefronts is a platform to showcase those items in “curated collections," such as pet supplies, travel, jewelry and home products, according to the company.
Amazon said it will also feature a new small business every week, highlighting some of the top-selling products from the company and information about its founders. Users can also explore businesses based on their fundamentals, such as “family-focused businesses” or “women-owned businesses.”
Rationale Explained
“The businesses in Amazon Storefronts all have high ratings, increasing the likelihood of customers having a positive experience. Since they are all based in the United States, Amazon can provide slightly faster shipping for these products,” observed explained Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com.
In conjunction with the launch of Storefronts, Amazon is releasing a new television campaign featuring actual small business owners on the platform. The campaign is designed to entice more small business owners to sell on Amazon by asking, “Why Amazon and not somewhere else?”