Warning all megalomaniacs: There’s a precipice ahead

One way or another, the big players just keep getting bigger. Every large tech company has an M&A team that seem like they were reared on Pac-Man. They gobble up businesses at every turn, hopefully because they add value, occasionally so that competitors don’t do so first, and apparently, sometimes, because they can. In other instances, they study successful businesses and roll out their own flavor even if it does not directly correlate to their core business. Among the latest is Amazon’s new local marketplace and food ordering initiative.
The leading internet merchant is not satisfied squeezing brick & mortar retailers and disrupting long established retail models by adding services like same-day delivery, fresh grocery items and a phone that can order products with the touch of a dedicated button. Now Amazon is venturing into divergent areas already disrupted by other established internet brands.
The question is: How far can they go before falling flat on their face? Sure, they have wads of cash and an amazing logistics system. They have a massive customer base and a top-notch reputation among millions of consumers. They’re the first place many people think of shopping these days and they have successfully integrated other web-only merchants. Does that mean that they are infallible? Will consumers accept anything and everything they do as they grow tentacles in ever more verticals?
I think a reckoning is coming. The fan boys (a.k.a. Fire Phone pre-order geeks) will suck up anything and everything Master Bezos throws their way. But more mainstream consumers may begin to get their fill of Amazon being everywhere (Google too) and limit their dealings with the merchant to its core function; purveying "stuff." Lots of Amazon customers are heavily vested in local services with Yelp, GrubHub Seamless, Angie’s List, etc. and are unlikely to abandon ship just because big A has arrived and put its brand on things.
In fairness, the company has a strong track record and it isn’t the only entity that can be accused of drinking its own Kool-Aid. Yet, the issue is this: Can the Amazon brand justify taking such extended risks, possibly overstepping its reach, attempting to become the be-all end-all, or should it continue to hone its core services? After all, Amazon remains far, far away from capturing even one percent of retail sales or even 50 percent of Walmart sales, potentially making the pursuit of extraneous businesses a diversion, or worse, a serious miscalculation.
- Exclusive: Amazon.com plans local services marketplace this year – sources – Reuters
- Amazon Is Quietly Launching A Local Takeout Service To Rival Seamless And DeliveryHero – TechCrunch
- Top 100 Retailers Chart 2014 – National Retail Federation
- Amazon’s Fire Phone is all about selling stuff on Amazon.com – RetailWire
What do you think of Amazon moving into the local marketplace and a food takeout service areas? Will consumers welcome Amazon’s expansion into such areas? What are the potential benefits and risks of extending into non-core businesses?
Join the Discussion!
16 Comments on "Warning all megalomaniacs: There’s a precipice ahead"
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I detect more than a touch of cynicism in the article. Amazon has continued to grow through doubling down on its existing business and expanding into other areas. Why focus strictly on selling products when you can sell services as well?
Consumers trust Amazon. Some of these extensions may work, others may fail. The beauty of the Internet is that it’s usually not expensive to try. Amazon started by selling books. Soon they grew into other product categories, then entertainment and groceries. I look forward to seeing what areas Bezos decides to pursue next.
Businesses have always chosen to evaluate their need to “stick to the knitting” to find organic growth vs. ventures into lateral growth avenues.
Finding a path into various new business opportunities will continuously find intriguing prospects. At the same time, they will lead to some significant failures. The risks that the adventurous may have can include under-investment, a mis-focus of people and resources, lack of a complete understanding of the venture, inconsistent operations and more.
Companies like 3M have successfully taken on new ventures outside of the “knitting” and built profitable entities. Many consumer packaged goods firms have done the same.
In the case of retail, we’ve seen the wins and the losses. McDonald’s, a great operations company, has failed to extend beyond their core platform, as they have tried pizza and other food service entities.
Those who choose to run a lateral growth play have to ask how does this fit strategically, operationally, structurally, and culturally. If they can’t address each of those points completely, stick to the knitting.
Let’s take the second question first.
Amazon’s core business used to be books. They seem to have done OK so far with non-core offerings. Why? Because they do a thorough study of what’s wrong with existing suppliers in non-core areas, correct it, and in doing so, build a better consumer mousetrap and expand their empire.
It’s a formula that has taken them light-years past books.
I’ve personally never used the Local Marketplace option because I generally don’t like the terms but, if those terms were better, who knows?
The only real limit to a business’ expansion is measured by its ability or inability to satisfy significant consumer demand. I think in Amazon’s case it’s better to stop thinking about its core competency on a category (books, music, etc.) basis and begin thinking about it as a company whose true core competency is discovering weaknesses in existing consumer offerings. And, trust me, there is a universe of weakness out there waiting for somebody to exploit it.
Amazon has a lot of fans. These fans will give Amazon’s new concept a try. No doubt about that. What worries me is that this appears to be a lane change; moving away from being the best online retailer into a local retail market. I’m sure that there has been due diligence and testing, but this can be considered a completely new line of business, versus an extension of business. Amazon may not see it that way. I’m not on the inside of the company to see how the strategy is playing out. What I know is that great companies pick a lane and stay in it. So, if this local marketplace/food takeout is in the same lane, they will have a better chance of succeeding.
It seems to me that Amazon announces a new venture about once a week or so. It’s hard to see how management can keep track of all these new ventures which are in so many disparate areas and stay focused on building a profit from their core revenue streams at the same time. I’d say it might be better to take a deep breath and delve into only a few new areas a year, rather than just throwing ideas against the wall to see what sticks.
When will this overgrowth program the world is in stop? Will all the food chains be bought up and owned by a mega consortium? Will the same happen to the banking industry? Remember when there were actually locally owned banks you could walk into and know the president on a first name basis? I feel for the small business owner whether the business is local, regional or national. We are all feeling the same pinch when those with the deep pockets invade our space.
Amazon does seem to have a problem. Profitability is off significantly over the past 5 years. What is concerning is that they are making highly visible expansion statements into areas where margins seem like they would be quite low. Or desperately seeking press (e.g. drone delivery) with ideas that remind me of the hype around the Segway ( which was going to revolutionize all travel…and didn’t).
Some of this raises a franchising-like concern—where franchise operations look great as long as they are opening new locations. But the revenue from those new things mask financial problems that overwhelm them when expansion slows or stops or becomes low margin.
Amazon is strong. But there is need to be concerned by ideas like these local marketplace ideas.
As a long-time marketer, I have always been excited when an industry behemoth decides to enter a new market segment. I know that a few things are going to happen in the segment: there will be more focus from the media; more investment from a variety of sources; and more attention from the end buyer/consumer. These are all good things for the existing players in the market and for the consumers. I’ve also watched as large companies have lost focus on the segment, questioned their entry and investment, and eventually moved on.
I don’t see this as a major risk to Amazon’s existing businesses, but it may be a distraction. Add enough distractions to an enterprise and the fissures expand affecting other areas of the business. We’ll see how this one plays out. In the meantime it gives us something to watch….
I look at Amazon and see a company that did what they needed to do to grow. As any start-up, they tested the waters, looked at what was happening and honed their skills. Honing sometimes takes the shape of purchases that the company thinks might align well. Some do, some don’t.
Is it an attempt to put everyone else out of business? Nope. They are simply striking while the iron is hot. You don’t stop taking risks just because you’re big. You keep on as long as the business continues to move along in the right direction.
Who knows what lies behind the next corner? To stay relevant one must always be looking and trying to skate where that puck is going to be. (Thanks Wayne Gretsky)
When Amazon’s followers stop following them, they skated too far. But if they stay on top of the game, which they appear to be doing quite a nice job of, they will have many more years to come. Shucking and jiving. And that’s my 2 cents!
I spoke yesterday with a business contact who had just had a happy experience with Amazon. She checked with other retailers, and found that Amazon’s price beat theirs. She received the item the next day.
Despite some of the ridiculous hype (you won’t be seeing drones in your neighborhood, period) Amazon has the power to render a number of other retailers obsolete. Snicker at your peril.