Is Amazon a Friend or Foe to Its Merchants?

Is Amazon a Friend or Foe to Its Merchants?. Most merchants that use Amazon.com as a sales channel are worried that the e-commerce giant will one day become a competitor, according to a recent research from SLI Systems. The report was based on data from a 2Q17 survey of 213 people who work for retailers that sell on at least one online channel; 44% of firms polled use Amazon.com as a sales channel. Some 47% of respondents who sell on Amazon.com say they are somewhat worried that the company will eventually use their firm's sales data to compete. Nearly half that proportion, 21%, are very worried, but 32% are not worried. Some 65% of retail firms that use Amazon.com as a retail channel say they do so to increase sales; 47% do so to acquire new customers; and 47% say they do so to gain visibility from what is a high-traffic channel. About the research: The report was based on data from a 2Q17 survey of 213 people who work for retailers that sell on at least one online channel; 44% of firms polled use Amazon.com as a sales channel.