Amazon launches SMB-only storefront

Dean Blake

18th Sep 2018

Online marketplace Amazon on Tuesday revealed a new initiative to support small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) selling on its platform.

With Amazon Storefronts, customers can shop a curated collection of products across more than 25 categories.

The site will highlight a different business each week and feature profiles of SMBs selling on Amazon.

Amazon said the site makes it easier for customers to support smaller businesses.

“We’ve created a custom, one-stop shopping experience for customers looking for interesting, innovative and high quality products from American businesses from all across the country,” Amazon vice president Nicholas Denissen said.

The e-commerce giant noted that SMBs have been a vital part of its offering, since the marketplace launched nearly two decades ago.

The company earlier this year released its Small Business Impact Report, which revealed that SMBs that sell on Amazon are estimated to have created more than 900,000 jobs worldwide.

Data leak

The news comes after a report in the Wall Street Journal revealed that Amazon employees provided confidential internal data to suppliers in exchange for a fee.

Middlemen reportedly used WeChat to approach Amazon employees and paid anywhere from US$80 to US$200 for information about sales and searches and how to delete negative reviews.

“We hold our employees to a high ethical standard and anyone in violation of our Code faces discipline, including termination and potential legal and criminal penalties,” the company said in a statement.

“We have zero tolerance for abuse of our systems and if we find bad actors who have engaged in this behavior, we will take swift action against them, including terminating their selling accounts, deleting reviews, withholding funds, and taking legal action.”