Amazon is currently the world’s largest online retailer.
Amazon.com generated net sales of over $112 million in the United States in 2020 alone, according to Statista.
As Amazon has continued to grow in sales, it has expanded as well. In 2006 it introduced Prime Video, Amazon’s subscription-based streaming service. In 2007 it introduced Amazon Fresh, an Amazon grocery delivery service.
Then in 2018, the first Amazon 4-star store appeared in New York.
The store is advertised as a retail store that only sells Amazon’s products rated with at least four stars, ranging from card games to mini skillets.
The Amazon 4 Star stores began appearing in other states, opening in California in 2020.
Currently, there are more than 40 4-star stores and seven of them are in California.
Though all the products are chosen based on ratings, there are also subcategories, such as “Most wished for” product .
Masha Sowell, sophomore psychology major, weighed the pros and cons of the store.
“I don’t think the stores are that necessary because you can just order anything you want off the website, which I feel is easier,” Sowell said. “I personally would rather just go on the website. ”
Elizabeth Roe, freshman criminal justice major, thinks the stores would do better in majorly populated areas.
“Depending on where you live, shipping from Amazon.com can take longer,” Roe said. “If you live in a place like Los Angeles, for example, it can take twice as long for your package to arrive then if you lived in a rural place because there is more demand. Amazon 4-star stores could do well in packed cities because it offers residents the opportunity to get what they want sooner. They don’t have to wait for availability, they can just go to the store themselves.”
Dr. Keanon Alderson, professor of management said it is an understandable marketing strategy.
“It is helpful for Amazon to go where their customers are,” Alderson said. “Marketing is about building a relationship with customers, providing value and making it convenient for them to do business with you.”
Amazon 4-star stores are only part of the company’s massive expansion.
“The Amazon company is fast growing because they are very aggressive and willing to try new things,” Alderson said. “Some don’t succeed, but some do. Amazon Web Services, for example, is cloud-based storage that is becoming a very profitable and large percentage of their business.”
In terms of Amazon 4-star’s success, Alderson said the outlook is positive.
“The new stores will succeed, and they have already opened retail bookstores as well,” Alderson said. “They have very creative ideas. By creating stores, it gives people more of an opportunity to look around and see exciting products they might not have known
existed, since many people like myself only go on Amazon.com for specific items most of the time.”
The nearest Amazon 4-star to California Baptist University is an hour away, located in Long Beach.
