Amazon Marketplace Dilemma: A Brand Executive's Challenge Growing Sales and Maintaining Control

Brand executives face two key questions in addressing the Amazon marketplace: 1.Will the brand be sold on the Amazon Marketplace? 2.If yes, then what distribution approach makes most sense for the brand? As we discuss throughout the book, the decision regarding whether the brand will be sold on the Amazon marketplace is not always solely within a brand's control. It's better to start with the assumption that any popular brand's products will eventually show up for sale on Amazon, whether the brand wants those products there or not. The second question is more complex for brand executives. At its core, this question represents a pivotal "fork in the road" that we call the Amazon Marketplace Dilemma. That choice is: Sell TO Amazon vs. Sell ON Amazon. Which of these paths a brand chooses-and the distribution strategy it employs in that domain-will determine a brand executive's issues, challenges and priorities. Either option will impact the brand executive's ability to control their brand strategies (e.g., pricing, brand content, marketing, etc.), to generate profits, and to create a stable cadence for managing activities on the Amazon marketplace channel. In our book, we uncover the many considerations involved in developing and implementing the right Amazon distribution strategy for a given brand.