Amazon’s 3rd-party marketplace has definitely earned its keep. Last year, vendors generated more than half of its e-commerce sales and grew 2x the revenue from the online store. But, to Amazon, it still may not be worth it.
Yesterday, citing anonymous sources, Bloomberg reported that Amazon is about to stop taking wholesale orders from small vendors in an effort to focus more heavily on major brands like Procter & Gamble and Walmart.
But the horse’s mouth says… ‘WRONG’
According to an Amazon spokesperson, the company told Bloomberg that their story and sources were wrong before the article’s publication.
“We review selling partner relationships on an individual basis, and any speculation of a large-scale reduction of vendors is incorrect.”
Though it would save Amazon money
Eliminating 3rd-party suppliers would allow Amazon to cut back on paying managers to oversee supplier negotiations, as well as reduce the amount of unsold merchandise it gets stuck with.
Merchants have long expected to sell much of their stock in bulk to Amazon. If Bloomberg’s report is true, they will have to win sales one shopper at a time.