Amazon to Expand Health and Grocery Sectors, Strategic Acquisitions and Monetization of Alexa and Go Beginning in 2019, Predicts Ecommerce Experts

Edge by Ascential™ publishes its top 11 Amazon predictions for 2019, including short-, mid- and long-term strategies

Press Release

BOSTON, MA—January 11, 2019—Edge by Ascential, a leading provider of highly accurate and actionable ecommerce data, insights and advisory solutions for global brands and retailers, has published their 11 top predictions for Amazon's next moves in 2019 and beyond. Edge by Ascential's Danny Silverman, Chris Perry and Pete Andrews, highly sought-after ecommerce experts who have helped hundreds of brands optimize their performance on Amazon, have segmented their top predictions into what they expect to happen imminently, what they expect to happen in the coming 24 months, and longer-term strategies Amazon will likely undertake.

 

"The complex and subtle forces applied by competing channels, supply chains, regulations and consumer interests – each of these factors subject to rapid and surprising changes – makes prediction a broad and long-term game," explains Danny Silverman, CMO at Edge by Ascential. "To give our brand manufacturers clients the most strategic information for their ecommerce optimization strategy, we haven't limited ourselves to Amazon's short-term goals. Instead, we've broken our predictions out by distance: what's around the corner, what's down the street and what's a few blocks away."

 

Within one year, Edge by Ascential predicts that Amazon will introduce a major search algorithm update and significant innovation in the display segment of Alexa to address minimal adoption as a shopping channel. Within the next two to three years, Edge’s ecommerce experts expect to see major category expansions in grocery (driven by the addition of more Whole Foods and Amazon Go stores) and health (driven by the acquisition of PillPack and the formation of a health care company in partnership with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase & Co). Within five years, Edge by Ascential predicts the monetization of Amazon's proprietary technologies and infrastructure including Go, Alexa and its distribution network.

 

"Once Amazon's last mile capabilities are fully established, they will not shy away from competing for business with legacy distribution players," explains Chris Perry, Vice President of Global Executive Education at Edge by Ascential. "Similar to how the AWS infrastructure was originally built to support Amazon's digital ecosystem and later monetized as a cloud computing platform, Amazon's physical infrastructure, built to support its supply chain and fulfillment, will eventually be sold to brands and retailers as a logistics solution."

 

"Amazon is very methodical," explains Pete Andrews, Director of Insights at Edge by Ascential. "If you're paying attention—and we are—nothing they do will come as a total shock. Whether it's an acquisition, a private brand expansion, or the monetization of one of its proprietary technologies, any major announcement will be preceded by months or years of data collection and testing. By monitoring Amazon's activity at all times, we can get a strong idea of their next moves."

 

Read Edge by Ascential's full 2019 predictions here: 11 Edge Predictions for Amazon in 2019.

 

 

About Edge by Ascential™

Formerly Brand View, Clavis Insight, One Click Retail and PlanetRetail RNG, Edge by Ascential™ delivers some of the industry's most accurate and actionable sales-driving data, insights and advisory solutions for global brands and retailers looking to win in today's ecommerce-driven world. Our solutions enable the world's top brands and retailers to implement strategies that help maximize revenue growth; optimize product listings; increase sales faster than the category and the competition; and drive margin growth with pricing and promotions. Our weekly, daily and real-time data-driven insights (including online Sales and Share measurement, Digital Shelf performance, Price & Promotions monitoring and Retail Insights intelligence), coupled with a wide range of customized advisory and education services, give our clients a comprehensive and competitive advantage across the entire landscape online and around the globe.

For more information about how your company can gain the advantage, visit www.ascentialedge.com.

 

 

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