Amazon still has plenty of product categories to conquer and its latest target is the office supplies market. The online giant announced it has launched its own office supplies store (www.amazon.com/officesupplies) with over 500,000 products from manufacturers including Avery, Hammermill, Midland Paper, Papermate, Raymond Geddes and Russell+Hazel.
"We are thrilled to offer our customers an easy and convenient way to find and discover everything they need to outfit their office or classroom," said Chris Rupp, director of merchandising for computers and office supplies for Amazon.com, in a press release.
Amazon, which will be going up against the likes of Staples and Office Depot with its newest venture, is offering special promotional deals on a variety of products through June 29. The e-tailing giant will make use of the tools and services that have made it a success in other areas of its business including product information, customer reviews and free shipping.
The online merchant has continued to be effective even in the current challenging economic environment. Amazon recently announced it would open a new 500,000 square-foot fulfillment center in Goodyear, Ariz.
A report from Citigroup Global Markets, quoted in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, said that Amazon's "consistently maniacal focus on price, selection and convenience has allowed it to maintain growth rates two times to three times that of overall e-commerce growth rates in the U.S."
Discussion Questions: Do you see the office supplies business heading more to the online channel and, as such, does Amazon represent a true threat to the market share of companies including Staples and Office Depot?