New trend report: Amazon everything

By fully integrating with our lives, Amazon has transformed our shopping expectations. Free delivery is now a basic standard. And the ability to deliver within two hours has become a necessity, not a luxury, because of Amazon Prime Now—free to customers who subscribe to the Prime service. While other companies struggle to catch up, it takes little time for Amazon’s new initiatives and gambles to become an indispensable part of our lives; according to founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, “tens of millions” of Amazon Echo voice-controlled devices have been sold since their introduction just over three years ago. The friendly voice of its Alexa personal assistant has normalized spoken commerce and hyper-personalized recommendations, with the Echo Look “style assistant” the latest development.

Amazon is also transforming our relationship with brands by launching its own versions of consumer favorites. Some are explicitly labeled as such, including AmazonBasics, a value range of everyday items including batteries, computer accessories and pet food, and Amazon Elements, a premium range of vitamins and supplements with an emphasis on transparency. Other Amazon products are less obvious. Mama Bear is Amazon’s line of diapers, launched in 2017, Presto! offers cleaning products, while Wickedly Prime is a range of gourmet snacks and beverages. More recently, the company has been introducing a raft of premium private labels that look and feel like aspirational brands, competing on price and desirability in the athleisure, beauty and personal care sectors. Examples include Dear Drew, Drew Barrymore’s fashion and jewelry line, fitness labels Peak Velocity and Goodsport, and homeware line Stone & Beam.