AWS is pretty expensive. Might be possible for a tech driven company to cut out all the MBA types and undercut them on price.
Ask HN: What Weaknesses Does Amazon Have?
11–20 of 23 posts
Re: Ask HN: What Weaknesses Does Amazon Have?
#12Re: Ask HN: What Weaknesses Does Amazon Have?
#13One issue that has been mentioned multiple times on Hacker News is that, in some categories, it is almost impossible to find good products: https://www.vox.com/2019/2/28/18168354/amazon-marketplace-pr...
Re: Ask HN: What Weaknesses Does Amazon Have?
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
How about something specific to Amazon? Obviously those are all good, re David/Goliath. But in my experience investors dont think along those lines as much.
You can hit Amazon with niche categories. For example they have shoes and clothing, but there is no "Amazon for nurses scrubs or school uniforms" or other niche categories. They also do not serve many countries (e.g. Philippines). A startup that served these needs would not have Amazon as a competitor at all.
Out of curiosity, I just searched Amazon for "school uniforms" and there's a lot of stuff there. (Makes sense, since there are millions of kids in private and parochial schools - it's a big market.)
Even if you manage to find a retail category that Amazon is not currently involved in, you might wake up tomorrow to find that they've suddenly become your competitor.
Re: Ask HN: What Weaknesses Does Amazon Have?
#15AWS is pretty expensive. Might be possible for a tech driven company to cut out all the MBA types and undercut them on price.
I would be very hesitant to use a new hosting service for anything business critical or sensitive. I don’t know how well they will operate nor the security of my data. AWS/GCP/Azure/etc. do a lot to physically secure your data.
Re: Ask HN: What Weaknesses Does Amazon Have?
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
They're referring to a (default?) dark color scheme on the web products, to make it better on the eye with better contrast.
Not really what I'm asking but OK... I doubt a lacking of a color scheme is going to add much to your competitive analysis.
Your humor detector got turned off, I think.
In lieu of any actual progress dark mode got hyped in many products recently as an important new feature.
Re: Ask HN: What Weaknesses Does Amazon Have?
#17BigCo problems: slower decision speed, dehumanized support, limited social presence, volume requirements w/ supplier side, draconian terms, data collection and privacy issues...
Marketplace problems: limited control over 3rd party suppliers, fake products, lack of accountability for indirect damages...
Volume problems: fake reviews, hard to find specific niche products, lack of product details, standardized photos...
Re: Ask HN: What Weaknesses Does Amazon Have?
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can hit Amazon with niche categories. For example they have shoes and clothing, but there is no "Amazon for nurses scrubs or school uniforms" or other niche categories. They also do not serve many countries (e.g. Philippines). A startup that served these needs would not have Amazon as a competitor at all.
Out of curiosity, I just searched Amazon for "school uniforms" and there's a lot of stuff there. (Makes sense, since there are millions of kids in private and parochial schools - it's a big market.) Even if you manage to find a retail category that Amazon is not currently involved in, you might wake up tomorrow to find that they've suddenly become your competitor.
You have found a category that Anazon serves, but does not serve well. I buy nearly everything on Amazon but I still have to buy her uniforms in person (each school has a specific color scheme, plaid pattern, collar style, etc.). My wife still buys her nurse scrubs from a guy who comes around the hospital and only takes cash. These are things you just can't get easily on Amazon, even though it looks like they have that category covered.
Also, you could compete with Amazon on any category just by having a bigger selection of same day delivery in some niche.
Re: Ask HN: What Weaknesses Does Amazon Have?
#19I think their biggest weakness is their relationship with sellers. Sellers hate Amazon because their livelihood is dependent of Amazon's ever changing policies and bans. This is why most of them have a Shopify store and hope to create a brand on their own. But, they haven't succeeded yet. If you can provide a credible alternative for these sellers, there will be a stampede of sellers out of Amazon.
Re: Ask HN: What Weaknesses Does Amazon Have?
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not really what I'm asking but OK... I doubt a lacking of a color scheme is going to add much to your competitive analysis.
Your humor detector got turned off, I think. In lieu of any actual progress dark mode got hyped in many products recently as an important new feature.