As a small business owner, you’ve probably thought to yourself at least once, “How the heck can I compete with Amazon?”
And for good reason. If you’re an online retailer, or even if you own physical stores serving a niche, there’s a decent chance that Amazon has a chunk of your market share.
The brainchild of Jeff Bezos has its fingers in many pies. However, Amazon isn’t completely untouchable. Plenty of businesses are direct Amazon competitors in some way and still enjoy huge profits.
This guide will look at 10 of Amazon’s top competitors in various areas, explaining what exactly makes them successful. Then we’ll take those lessons and look at how you, as a small business, can also compete with the online retail giant.
Table of Contents
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Top 10 Amazon competitors
This Amazon competitors’ analysis has a healthy mix of online-only business models and offline/online offerings. Each of them has unique advantages that position them as Amazon competitors for online sales.
Online stores
Let’s start with an obvious group of competitors: online store owners (a.k.a. you). Ecommerce has taken off over the past few years, taking up20% of total retail salesin the United States alone. Although Amazon is thelargest consumer marketplacein the US, small business owners have one massive benefit: they remain nimble and unique.
Online stores that sell unique, can’t-get-anywhere-else products will always have an edge over the mass-produced goods you find on Amazon. TakeTREEHOUSE kid & craft, for example.
The Georgia-based small business has a unique advantage over massiveonline selling siteslike Amazon. It specializes in high-quality kids’ toys, art, and books, stocking “unique, kindly-made products from around the world.”
Rhiannon Taylor, founder of online boutiqueRT1home,suggests ecommerce entrepreneurs “design and manufacture your own products which Amazon cannot carry. If that’s not an option, do your research and only offer a unique product that’s not available on Amazon.”
Sure, you probably can’t compete with Amazon on price or shipping times. In terms of scale, size, and logistics, the ecommerce platform Amazon is nearly limitless. But you can outpace Amazon when it comes to unique products andpersonalized shopping experiencesthat keeps customers happy and coming back for more.
Resources:
- What’s the Best Ecommerce Platform for Your Business? Here’s How to Evaluate Your Options
- How to Build a Website From Scratch: A 9-Step Quickstart Guide for Beginners
eBay
Another massive ecommerce platform that directly competes with Amazon iseBay. The online marketplace company, based in San Jose, California, was founded in 1995.
eBay’s revenue has steadily fallen in recent years but in 2022 it still totalled a whopping$9.89 billion.
With eBay, sellers list products for sale and buyers find them in the marketplace. EBay sellers also offer products similar to those offered by sellers on Amazon. The big difference? EBay sellers can auction products or have a fixed rate. Amazon doesn’t offer auction sales.
Being essentially a big garage sale versus a general online marketplace gives eBay a unique position over Amazon.
Walmart
Moving closer to the discount department store concept, another great example of an Amazon competitor isWalmart. One of the oldest companies on this list, it was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton in Rogers, Arkansas.
Amazon and Walmart are two of the biggest retailers in the US and are always in competition. Walmart dominates the physical space, but Amazon leads online. Although Walmart has been around for 30 years longer, the two fight for the same customers now. The brands compete on everything from innovation to digital growth, logistics, and sustainability.
Walmart saw a revenue of$573 billionin 2022, actually surpassing Amazon, which generated$502 billionin revenue.
Flipkart
If you live in a western country, you may have the idea that Amazon has a massive presenceeverywhere,but that’s not the case.Flipkartwas founded in 2007 and is one of India’s leading online ecommerce sites.Walmart became its majority ownerback in 2018.
Flipkart’s business model is very similar to Amazon’s, with the exception of the Flipkart Plus SuperCoins reward scheme, which, unlike Amazon Prime, is earned, rather than paid for.
Flipkart’s revenue has been growing, with a reported12% increasein 2021 from the previous year. As the Indian ecommerce market continues to strengthen, Flipkart is one of Amazon’s biggest competitors in the region.
Target
Another company with a long history isTarget, founded the same year as Walmart, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Target describes itself as a “general merchandise retailer” and boasts that75%of the US population lives within 10 miles of a Target retail store. Target reported$108 billionin revenue in 2022, with an overall compared sales growth rate of 12.7% compared to the previous year.
Target cannot compete with Walmart and Amazon—it’s not large enough. But what Target has that other retailers don’t is a loyal following. Target has become an incredibly convenient place to shop, and is even considered anacceptable date nightby its customers.
Target joined the ranks ofecommerce companiesby offering same-day delivery, order pickup, and drive-up pickup. With an increased focus on online sales, Target continues to slice away at Amazon's overall market share.
Alibaba Group
While we consider Amazon a behemoth in the US, in China there is theAlibaba Group. Founded in 1999 by Jack Ma (who hasseen controversyfor comments against the Chinese regulatory system and has sincerelieved control of the Ant Group), its main retail subsidiaries are AliExpress, Taobao, and Tmall.
Each subsidiary competes against Amazon in different ways. Taobao, a B2C (business to consumer) operation, for example, competes with Amazon on selling clothes, accessories, gadgets, and computer hardware at low prices.
Alibaba is one of the biggest competitors to Amazon Web Services, with cloud computing bringing in a revenue of$11.7 billionin 2022.
Collectively, the Alibaba Group sawrevenueof approximately $134 billion in 2021 and $131 billion in revenue for 12 months ending September 30, 2022. There's a reason the Alibaba Group continues to be the top Chinese ecommerce business.
Otto
Otto, one of Europe’s biggest ecommerce companies, was founded in 1949 in Hamburg, Germany. As the oldest company on this list, its products were originally ordered by mail and then telephone before the company moved into online shopping in 1995.
While it is considered a one-stop shop for electronics (like Apple and Microsoft), fashion, and sports gear,its biggest market(particularly in Germany) is in furniture and home furnishings.
In the 2021/2022 financial year, the Otto Group generated revenue of approximately€16.1 billion.
JD
The next competitor on our list isJD(JingDong), also known by its URL, JD.com. It’s another Chinese ecommerce sales website, founded in Beijing in 1998.
Beyond being a competitor to Amazon, it’s also a direct competitor of the above-mentioned Tmall, both being Chinese B2C ecommerce companies).
是什么让JD有点不同于亚马逊the ability to buy items in bulk (similar to Costco), as well as its dominating logistics infrastructure in China.
As a result, JD.com enjoyed$34.2 billionin revenue in the third quarter of 2022.
Netflix
Taking a step away from physical products, we turn toNetflix,the biggest competitor of Amazon Prime Video. The video-on-demand service, started in 1997 when founders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph mailed themselves a DVD in Scotts Valley, California, is widely considered one of the most popular subscription services in the world.
Since then, the company has seen continued overall growth, culminating in $8 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2022. Popular among its nearly 208 million subscribers is its original content, which it pumps out at an average rate ofjust over one original title a day.
While manyrising competitorsin the video streaming space have cut into its US market share, it still retains a hefty 20%.
Rakuten
Moving back into the ecommerce space, another big player is top Japanese ecommerce companyRakuten, founded in 1997 in Tokyo.
However, to call Rakutenjustan ecommerce company would be a mistake—its ecosystem includes a streaming service (Rakuten TV), banking and payments services, telecoms, even health and life insurance, making it one of the most diverse ecommerce competitors on the list.
Rakuten has a significantly different business model in terms of its retail strategy. It uses a cash-back system to encourage customers to do their shopping through Rakuten instead of directly with brands.
This model (as well as its enterprising ecosystem) has earnedRakuten两位数的增长,增长13.5%(同比), coming to a total of 456.5 billion yen for the second quarter of 2022.
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How small businesses can compete with Amazon
Now you understand which big companies compete with Amazon and how their advantages make them stand out. Next, let's take a look at how small businesses can take on the giants without being billion-dollar multinationals or slashing their prices.
- Provide an incredible customer experience
- Go omnichannel
- Advertise on marketplaces
- Create a great loyalty program
- Be an active community presence
Provide an incredible customer experience
One of the biggest advantages you have as a small business is getting to know your customers as people, not just as order reference numbers.
Some easy ways to create good customer experiences are:
- Write handwritten thank-you notes with their orders
- Talk to them directly and ask for their feedback
- Send relevant personalized emails
- Solve customer complaints promptly with meaningful resolutions
For more ways to make customers feel valued, read44 Best Thank You for Your Purchase Messages
Go omnichannel
This point applies to both physical and digital-only stores. When acquiring new customers and retaining existing ones, having an omnichannel experience is essential for gaining an edge over the competition.
Our research shows that73% of shoppersuse multiple channels before making a purchase. Retailers who sell across multiple channels (marketplaces, mobile, social media, and physical locations) increase revenue by 190%, on average.
Omnichannel retail doesn’t need you to be everywhere—just everywhere your customers are. It involves integrating each touchpoint to offer customers exactly what they need, when they need it, on any device.
Not only that, but they say that having an omnichannel strategy has the followingbenefits:
- Improves customer lifetime value
- Reaches new customer segments
- Increases operational efficiency
- Increases sales
- Improves inventory turnover
For examples and tips for creating your omnichannel strategy, readOminchannel Marketing Guide: What is It and How to Get Startedon the Shopify Plus blog.
Advertise on online marketplaces
Amazon isn’t the only marketplace on the web where you can advertise, or even host, your products. You can use other existing marketplaces that customers are already familiar with and trust (just bear in mind that using them will come at a cost).
These are some of the more popular ones, but you should also consider looking for a marketplace specific to your niche:
- Etsy, for DIY goods
- eBay, for just about anything
- Bonanza, for unique items
- Not On The High Streetfor UK businesses
You might have even noticed in recent years the rise of shopping capabilities on social media, such asFacebook Shopsand shopping on Instagram.
If you’re not hot on the idea of setting up your own store (which can sometimes come with significant overheads), any of these options can be a great choice and come with their own built-in audiences.
Create a great loyalty program
Another way to compete against Amazon is to have a super easy loyalty program. According to research fromAccenture, members of loyalty programs generate up to 18% more revenue for retailers than non-members.
Depending on the type of business you run, you can consider a variety of different loyalty program types, including points-based, tiered, paid (think “plus” or “premium” members), spending-based, gamified programs, or even value-based programs (tree-planting programs for example).
Companies likeSmilecan help you create a loyalty program for free, with pro plans available for further customization. If you have a Shopify store, you can add theSmile appto your shop and create a loyalty program easily.
Be an active community presence
The final tip for this post is perhaps the biggest advantage a small business has over huge multinationals: the ability to be an active local community presence.
Small business owners have a better understanding of the needs of their community, and what better way to inspire than getting involved in improving it or otherwise spreading a positive message?
Some ways you can get involved include:
- Hosting events for the first time related to your business (or for charity)
- Participating in or sponsoring existing events
- Have a volunteering program or incentive for employees
- Donate to local causes (as one-offs or pledge a portion of your profits)
- Join any community boards or organizations your business could help with (such as arts or music councils, health boards, etc.)
Alexa, what’s the best way to compete with Amazon?
It’s clear that Amazon is unstoppable in many areas—sellers on the marketplace can make and sell their own products or leverage new tools likeAmazon dropshipping. New ecommerce brands and online stores may be intimidated by the behemoth at first, but the truth is, there are many ways you can compete with Amazon and build a rewarding online business.
Get to know your customers and what they value. Create unique products. And always provide the best customer service possible. While following these three strategies won't make you the next Jeff Bezos, you’ll never have to worry about Amazon’s market share getting in your way.
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Amazon competitors FAQ
What is the Amazon Marketplace?
Who is Amazon’s biggest competitor?
- For retail: Alibaba, Target, eBay, Walmart, JD, Flipkart, and Rakuten
- For streaming services: Netflix, AppleTV, Disney+, Hulu
- For cloud or web services: Alibaba Cloud, Microsoft Azure
Who are Amazon’s indirect competitors?
Indirect competitors are those who are big players in the industry but servicing a different part of the market. Some examples include:
- Apple
- Shopify
Who are Amazon’s competitors in the US?
In terms of e-retailers, according toStatista, in 2022 Amazon’s biggest competitors by market share are Walmart (6.3%), eBay (4.7%), Apple (3.9%), Target (2.1%), and The Home Depot (2.1%), while Amazon led by 38.7%.Get started with Shopify