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Post by chapeaunoir on Aug 6, 2018 19:05:55 GMT
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Post by RetroMonde on Aug 6, 2018 21:32:45 GMT
Interesting article. Since I'm not a raving fan of Amazon this is yet another facet of what I think is going wrong. The rest of the world thinks Amazon is better than sliced bread... so I'll quietly drive my luddite self in my not-self-driving car to my local employee-owned, small chain grocery store (Winco) and choose my beans and corn myself, enjoying the real-life, real-time experience. :-)
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Post by chapeaunoir on Aug 6, 2018 22:48:40 GMT
I've been following this particular subject of white labeling and private labels for a while, and despite the fact that I've used Amazon since its inception, this to me is dangerous, because one of the biggest drivers of innovation and invention, not to mention quality product, is competition, and Amazon is beginning to remind me of some kind of old Soviet-era quasi-monopoly.
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val2525
Chaos Manager
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Post by val2525 on Aug 6, 2018 23:06:53 GMT
Amazon wants to replace trust in brands with algorithms. Instead of consumers picking the brands they trust, Amazon wants them to pick products recommended by the algorithm.
Once Amazon weans their buyers off of true brand names, Amazon can then entice buyers to buy Amazon branded items. More money for Bezos.
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kritter
Mod Squad
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Post by kritter on Aug 6, 2018 23:11:42 GMT
I am a true brand name buyer so they are doomed with changing my purchases.
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Post by RetroMonde on Aug 7, 2018 1:03:08 GMT
Thanks Chap, someone finally used the M-word. Of course it isn't really a monopoly because we have a choice of whether to use it. But as it slowly devours all independent brands, local shopping venues, entertainment options, service companies... did I forget something? I've read way too much dystopian lit to not feel uneasy about this whole future trend.
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Post by chapeaunoir on Aug 7, 2018 1:53:22 GMT
It's a strange, two-edged sword. On the one hand, Amazon has made it easy for small independent developers to get products to the public without a ton of infrastructure, so it keeps costs down and increases agility in product development and presentation. OTOH, they're also incredibly acquisitive, adopting and imitating products as fast as they can for production in their China factories and using their enormous clout to pretty much move on any brand they want.
This has opened the door to another problem - skyrocketing fakes and counterfeits, and flooding the market with cheap disposable garbage. Instead of a brand gaining share due to reliability and consistency, we have this:
“Using technology and a billion people who will write reviews and then putting in algorithms, we can destroy that price premium that brands have commanded through consistency, all this advertising, and all these things like packaging and shelf space and in-store promotions that we can go after, it really doesn’t add any value and we can destroy it.”
– Scott Galloway, Founder at L2
It's like there's no understanding of intrinsic value, consistency and reliability. The expense of advertising is also shed by using crowdsourcing and Bezos gets, yep, more money.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2018 16:33:29 GMT
I recently had a $10 off $50 coupon to try Wal-Mart's order online-pick up in store service. Since I spend nearly that much on catfood and Diet Coke anyway I gave it a try. Right as I was about to submit I saw a small motice authorizing substitutions. Oh hells no - cats must have not only their brand but also specific flavors and formula (part picky, part health). And I wouldn't have been too thrilled with Diet Pepsi either.
Amazon, if I need a memory stick or cable or something I don't care much, but otherwise give me what I ask for please. I'm not a brand snob, buy most groceries at Aldi, but if I want something specific, then that's what I want.
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kritter
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Post by kritter on Aug 7, 2018 20:37:56 GMT
A big NO for substitutions here too.
I want what I want and not what somebody else thinks will be OK to substitute in it's place.
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Post by chapeaunoir on Aug 8, 2018 1:45:19 GMT
Amazon was on a big campaign to clean up reviews, and some of the reviews are very reliable, but actually using crowdsourcing for advertisement isn't FREE, as I'm sure they hope it will be. They're going to have to hire a huge staff just to curate the reviews, because the abuse will just increase - all they've been able to get rid of, really, are troll ads and the ones who are paid to use a product and review it. They won't be able to do anything about the brand new world called "competitive reviewing".
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