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Amazon
In its push to become the everything store for everybody, Amazon on Tuesday unveiled yet another specialized storefront within its website, offering up a new page focused on showcasing startups’ products.
The new Amazon Launchpad page includes about 200 products from startups, including the Sphero remote-controlled robotic ball, a queen-size mattress from Casper, and a $300 Bluetooth speaker that levitates off its base, created by Crazybaby. Amazon teamed up with 25 crowdfunding platforms, venture capital firms and startup accelerators, including Andreessen Horowitz, Y Combinator and Indiegogo, to bring together the set of products. Launchpad also includes assistance for startups to market and distribute their products, with the help of Amazon’s global network of warehouses.
“As the pace of innovation continues to increase within the startup community, we want to help customers discover these unique products and learn the inspiration behind them,” Jim Adkins, an Amazon vice president, said in a statement.
The new page is another way Amazon can make its online store different from other retailers to ensure customers keep coming back for its unique items. eBay is taking a similar tack, too, but focusing on its traditional fare of collectibles and antiques. Still, Amazon’s latest program appears to be fairly close in concept to a page launched in March, called Amazon Exclusives, where the e-commerce giant has pulled together toys, sporting equipment and accessories from “up-and-coming” brands. One key difference between the two digital marketplaces is that an Exclusives product is only available on Amazon and the product maker’s website, with no other retailers able to offer the item.
In addition to Launchpad and Exclusives, Amazon has opened an art marketplace and started offering its own line of “Elements” products that have included diapers and baby wipes, though Amazon quickly stopped selling the diapers to make improvements to the design following customer feedback.
