You Can Compete With Amazon. Here's How
Amazon's dominance is slipping — and that opens the door for independent retailers. This post explores how small businesses can compete by mirroring Amazon’s strengths (like clear shipping and returns) while leaning into their unique story, values, and transparency.
Amazon may still — for now — be the Everything Store.
But that’s changing.
And you can take advantage of that change.
The story of Amazon’s incredible rise will appear on MBA curricula for generations to come. Launched in 1995 with discounted books, its retail dominance was secured five years later, when it opened the shop doors to independent retailers, who could sell their own goods on Amazon’s platform — though it would mean paying a pretty penny for the privilege. Amazon’s huge advantages — chief among them, its ubiquity and power — made selling on the platform just as difficult as selling anywhere else. Since then, small retailers have had the choice of selling on Amazon (and surrendering to them a significant portion of their sales), going it alone (and watching imitators who are on Amazon suck up your sales), or an unwieldy combination of the two.
That might now be changing.
In recent months Amazon’s star has dimmed, due to a variety of factors hard to either control or predict, and across cultural divides. For some, patronizing the platform indicates a tacit, and unwanted, endorsement of the billionaire class. For others, it means surrendering crucial knowledge about a product’s provenance or safety records. Some union members don’t like the idea of supporting a platform firmly opposed to the unionization of its workers, while others want the option of supporting businesses that share their ethical concerns or the zip codes.
Each of these issues offers a never-before-seen-in-its-history opportunity to capture traffic back from Amazon.
To capitalize on this interest, independent retailers need to do two things at once: convince buyers that they are just like Amazon in some ways — and its opposite in others:
#1: Buyers have become dependent on Amazon’s fast, efficient shipping. If you can’t match them for speed, at least offer clear policies that are easily spotted/linked to on every product detail page. State how long it will take you to ship their products, by which methods, and provide a clear delivery timeframe.
#2: Same goes for return policies. You probably can’t, like Amazon, just let many shoppers hold on to purchases they want to return. But you can provide clear directions on how returns are processed, the length of the return window, and expected timeframes for processing returns.
Michael Dougherty
Head of sales
Book your free consultation call
These kinds of uplifts are one free discovery call away
Book a discovery callThe ways in which independent retailers can operate unlike Amazon are even more important. These include:
#1: Clearly stating your provenance. If you’re Made in the USA, say exactly where! This provides heightened clarity and effectiveness, plus you stand the chance of further cementing your relationship with local buyers. (If you’re in Oregon, and you discover a product is made in Oregon, you likely feel more secure about its safe delivery.)
#2: The “Made in the USA” brand is still powerful, and relative to other, manufacturing-dense countries, still connotes high degrees of safety. Offer as much transparency as possible into your manufacturing process, highlighting what is designed, produced, or built in the U.S.
#3: Prominently display indicators of trust and safety, such as certifications from Energy Star, Leaping Bunny, LEED, and others.
#4: Trust can be conferred upon your brand by the media, influencers, and past customers as well. Build testimonials, reviews, and past press coverage into your website.
#5: If you don’t have press coverage, it’s time to pursue it: Many editorial websites that earn significant income through affiliate sales. If it makes sense for your brand, sign up for an affiliate program, and contact the writers behind the top-ranked “Best [Your Product Category]” stories — many are often motivated to link outside of Amazon, at least as long as they can still earn affiliate revenue.
#6: Use your About page to tell your founder’s story. People are more motivated than ever to support other people, rather than global corporations — take advantage of this by sharing your story in a thoughtful, candid, vulnerable way.
If you need help with any of these steps, we’re here to guide you in building a strong business. Reach out to schedule a Discovery Call today.
