SEATTLE, May 24, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --Amazon Services today launched its newest version of Amazon WebStore (http://webstore.amazon.com), providing customers with new capabilities, greater control, increased flexibility and lower pricing. Amazon WebStore is a full-featured e-commerce product that enables small- to medium-sized retailers and manufacturers to quickly design, build and manage their multichannel e-commerce businesses using Amazon's technology.

"With the new Amazon WebStore, we are making it simple for retailers and manufacturers to build and operate a world-class e-commerce business tailored to their brand and customers," said Scott Pulsipher, director, Amazon WebStore. "By leveraging Amazon's technology and infrastructure, Amazon WebStore levels the playing field for small- and medium-sized businesses, helping them quickly and easily build their businesses and improve the customer experience."

The newest version of Amazon WebStore powers the multichannel e-commerce offerings of businesses including Timex, Handstands, Bella Sara and hundreds of other Amazon WebStore customers.

"When we launched our new Amazon Webstore, we saw an immediate lift of 40 percent in revenue and average order size," said Cal Crouch, director, e-commerce, Timex. "And on the support side, we have gained the flexibility to make most changes to content as well as brand ourselves -- saving us thousands in development costs."

The new Amazon WebStore capabilities include:

 

  • Simple, self-service setup. Redesigned registration and launch wizard that makes it fast and easy for sellers to build, design and launch their multichannel online businesses.
  • Flexible layout and merchandising tools. Powerful set of layout and merchandising tools, including template designs and personalization widgets, to help businesses design and manage their websites with full control of the look and feel.
  • Unified interface for managing sales and inventory. Single interface to manage product, inventory, order and customer data across multiple channels.
  • Automated and easy-to-use marketing tools. Guided workflows to create marketing promotions, manage search engine optimization and monitor customer behavior. The new Amazon WebStore Selling Coach provides recommendations to improve seller performance by analyzing customer behavior and various seller configurations.
  • Multichannel applications. Seamless integration of end-user applications for store and phone ordering that enable sellers to personalize the customer experience across channels.
  • Integrated Amazon expertise. Proven traffic-driving and conversion features, pre-built integration to Selling on Amazon with a single administration environment, easy leverage of Fulfillment by Amazon and ready access to tens of millions of Amazon customers.

Amazon WebStore is available at a price as low as 0.7 percent of sales and $9.99 per month when bundled with Selling on Amazon and Fulfillment by Amazon. Payment processing and fraud-protection fees also apply (starting at 1.9 percent plus $0.30 per transaction). Existing WebStore by Amazon and new customers can register for the new version by visiting http://webstore.amazon.com.

About Amazon Services

Amazon Services is a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) that offers the technical platform, operational capabilities and online retailing expertise that power Amazon.com to other retailers.

Amazon WebStore currently powers the multichannel commerce offerings of thousands of retailers and manufacturers including world-class brands such as Creative Labs, Black and Decker, Honeywell, Sherwin-Williams, ToyWatch, MTV, Martha Stewart, Motorola, Samsonite, Timex and Precor. Amazon WebStore provides a self-service toolset that improves sellers' flexibility and control over site design, branding, customer experience and policies. Amazon WebStore is a comprehensive, full-featured e-commerce product that uniquely incorporates Amazon's expertise, and makes it fast, easy, and low cost to build and operate an online business. It also provides applications for phone, store ordering, and customer service to enable sellers to provide a personalized, cross-channel customer experience.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle and Kindle DX are the revolutionary portable readers that wirelessly download books, magazines, newspapers, blogs and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution electronic ink display that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle and Kindle DX utilize the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cell phones, so users never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Kindle is the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, and www.amazon.cn. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

SOURCE: Amazon.com, Inc.

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