Amazon doubles down on bricks-and-mortar tactics with catalogue ahead of Christmas

Amazon may have made its name as an e-commerce business, but even Jeff Bezos understands the value of a good ol’ fashion catalogue.

In a bid to tickle the nostalgia bone, Amazon has decided to print and send out a holiday catalogue to shoppers in the US ahead of Christmas, complete with a wishlist.

But unlike normal catalogues, the e-commerce business has filled the book with QR codes — no store required.

It’s just the latest move by Amazon to adopt practices traditionally employed by bricks-and-mortar retailers in a bid to cement itself as a go-to holiday shopping destination.

Since the collapse of Toys “R” Us, a hole has been created in the Christmas gifting market across the world, which Amazon is keen to fill.

The 70-page catalogue is dedicated primarily to toys and highlights the increasingly important role online retailers are playing in Christmas shopping.

Locally, Amazon will be trading through its second Christmas this year, but it has a lot to prove after a lacklustre launch last December.

Since then though, the platform has added tens of thousands of new products across over a dozen new categories, as well as launching loyalty program Amazon Prime earlier this year. Read more

Matthew Elmas - SmartCompany - 9 November 2018