Ever since its creation Amozon has been a trendsetter in the todays business, not only having put in practice the “long tail” theory but also always being in front line with all the major innovation issues, such as virtualization, intellectual property and now micropayments.
First time I thought Amazon was one of my trendsetters was when one of its business characteristics (the “Long Tail“) assured as business theory thanks to Chris Anderson.
Then I came across “Data mining at Amazon.com“, which changed my way of thinking digital business.
Lately, I recorded:
- “TiVo, Amazon Offer Downloads to TV” (07/07), which showed the attention to online share rather than selling, with a good test with the most innovative actor in modern broadcasting;
- “Amazon to Buy Audiobook Seller for $300 Million” (02/08), which anticipated the one-tear-later revived audiobook business, showing an accurate market protection as well;
- “Microsoft helps Amazon soar in the cloud” (10/08), which confirms the company’s up-to-date technology ambient, anticipating the public adoption of cloud computing;
- “Amazon Snags Gaming Company Reflexive” (10/08), which is another good protection move, in the always exploding game market;
- “SnapTell acquired by Amazon.com subsidiary A9.com” (06/09), which means putting one’s head into the “visual search” and the “mobile application” market at the same time;
- and, finally (at least of what I recorded) “Amazon rolls out mobile app payment service”:
“Online retail giant Amazon.com announced the availability of its Amazon Mobile Payments Service, promising mobile application developers, merchants and distributors tools to process payments from mobile devices and extend Amazon’s 1-Click checkout experience to their customers. Amazon MPS enables Amazon customers to use the existing payment and shipping information in their Amazon.com accounts to make purchases via mobile device–after signing in from an Amazon MPS-enabled handset or app, consumers are automatically equipped to make future purchases. Amazon adds its APIs will enable developers and merchants to extend single or multi-use payment options–moreover, partners who already offer Amazon Payments on their website can add the new mobile payment option without any additional backend technology development.”
Simply taking into consideration what Amazon does is a way to keep oneself always update.
It has an uncommon way to protect its market, not only keeping focused but mainly investing in all the possible innovative niches it bears. That could be very useful for any national player in the book selling market, to follow the emerging trends and avoid the risk to be out thrown by one’s own market.
But it’s facts such as the management of Orwell’s copyright on Kindle showed one of the main reasons Amazon began to sell digital copies of books:
- obviously it’s a way to sell more books;
- obviously it’s a way to sell another “piece of electronics”;
- but it’s also a way to test on the market the “new” way of dealing with copyright issues, which will soon evolve and transform Amazon’s market into “to-be-defined” new business model.
The final move into the micropayment market is “only” a logic consequence.
Many other products sales are starting to become “rentals”. The copyright model is based on “number of uses” of the item. The only way to match the two characteristics is to prepare oneself to “sell the use” of content (which is also a trend in the news sector) and micropayments are the only media one could imagine to complete the circle.
In synthesis, that’s why I wish I could work with Amazon.
It sums up all the issues I love, it’s always anticipating them (in order to buy a company or enter a market one has to imagine it quite some time before), it’s really the best place for me to work now.
I guess I should send them a resume …

