Amazon is busy getting its app store ready for the grand opening, an event to take place in just a few weeks. While some question the need for yet another app store, launching its own store makes perfect sense for Amazon. It is the launchpad for a big run into the mobile space, and it fits in perfectly with the company’s retail business.
I have previously expressed my belief that Amazon is readying its own tablet for the market, a product I think can be successful. The company has all of the pieces in place for a complete ecosystem to take advantage of a tablet in the market, and could seriously compete with Apple. While other companies are pushing the tablet device to compete with the iPad, Amazon can compete with an entire ecosystem. The app store is just a piece of the big picture that is the future Amazon.
I see the Amazon app store merging tightly with Amazon MP3, Video on Demand, Kindle bookstore and the Amazon Prime service. It’s only a short jump to merge all of these existing operations into the app store for a seamless trip to the Amazon retail market. The merged operation fits the company’s core business, online retail. With one stop the customer can get mobile apps, Kindle books, videos for entertainment and any of the millions of products that Amazon sells. This will be the only “one-stop” shopping experience.
Be prepared for Amazon to produce an online service that is tailored to provide a pleasant shopping experience that is unrivaled in either the online retail space or the mobile space. Customers will flock to buy from Amazon, all from the comfort of the Amazon mobile device. Sales will skyrocket as a result, cementing Amazon’s position as a giant retail operation.
The Amazon ecosystem can be leveraged in a way that only Amazon can do it. Amazon Prime customers will get special discounts if they purchase from an Amazon device. Free shipping will be thrown about at will. Amazon’s popular free daily deals will be expanded to cover the entire breadth of the operation, from free MP3s to free apps in the app store. Amazon knows how to do retail, and this will serve them well in the hot mobile space. They will be virtually unstoppable, and why I believe it is inevitable.
