🛒 The problem with eCommerce

The great trick of online retail has been to get us to do more shopping while thinking less about it – thinking less, in particular, about how our purchases reach our homes. This divorce of a product from its voyage to us is perhaps the thing that Amazon has sold us most successfully. Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, never wanted his customers to worr... See more

While same-day delivery and free returns are eroding much of the rest: we’ve now reached the point that it’s not clear that there is anything that cannot be bought online. But actually, the real barrier now is often not touching it, but knowing about it. These are things where a lot of the role of a physical shop is curation, recommendation and dem... See more

One of the major concerns that consumers have about the growth of ecommerce is the excess waste that goes into packaging. With consumers now wanting to feel less responsible for their impact on the environment, they're seeking out brands that facilitate environmentally conscious purchase habits–and waste-reduction is a key part of that process.

On Ecommerce and Marketplaces: Look for 1. Positive unit economics on the product, positive contribution margins on products sold. 2. Logistics: how long does it take to get to you? Will people pay for convenience. 3. Ability to browse as a human and connect, products that delight the customer, 4. Hooks the customer going forward, 5. The future is ... See more

It’s not always a great experience, especially when you need to buy too much to get free shipping or when only absurd bulk quantities are available. I’ve abandoned multiple shopping carts this week due to one source of friction or another.

The cultural shift to e-commerce has brought about new expectations for immediate gratification from consumers, and with that, increased environmental impacts as retailers attempt to meet those demands. However, when companies are willing to invest in creating sustainable solutions to navigate the evolving demands of today’s shopper, they will see ... See more

Shipping fees... It may sound banal, even self-evident, but understanding that was, I'm convinced, so critical to much of how we unlocked growth at Amazon over the years. People don't just hate paying for shipping, they hate it to literally an irrational degree.

Solving people's distaste for paying shipping fees became a multi-year effort at Amazon.