Amazon

What is Amazon.com

Amazon.com is a very large online marketplace where people can buy almost anything. It started in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, first as an online bookstore. Now, it sells a huge variety of products, including electronics, clothes, home goods, food, and much more. The company's main goal is to be the most customer-focused company on Earth. It allows customers to find and discover anything they might want to buy online. Besides selling products, Amazon also offers services like cloud computing through Amazon Web Services (AWS), video and music streaming with Prime Video and Prime Music, and smart home devices with Alexa. The company is based in Seattle, Washington, USA, and operates in many countries around the world.

Amazon.com Features

Amazon.com provides many features to make shopping easy and convenient for its users.

• Vast Product Selection: You can find millions of items from thousands of categories. This includes products sold directly by Amazon and by third-party sellers on its marketplace.
• Amazon Prime: This is a paid membership that gives customers special benefits. The most popular benefit is free and fast shipping on many items. It also includes access to streaming services like Prime Video and Prime Music.
• Customer Reviews and Ratings: Before buying, you can read reviews and see ratings from other customers. This helps you make a better decision about the product's quality and usefulness.
• One-Click Ordering: For faster checkout, you can save your payment and shipping information to buy items with a single click.
• Wish Lists: You can create lists of items you want to buy later or share with friends and family for gifts.
• Subscribe & Save: For products you buy often, like soap or coffee, you can set up automatic recurring deliveries. This service often gives you a discount on the product price.
• A-to-z Guarantee: This feature protects you when you buy from third-party sellers. If there is a problem with your order, Amazon helps to resolve it.
• Alexa Voice Shopping: If you have an Amazon Echo device, you can use your voice to search for products and place orders.

Amazon.com Pricing Plans

Using Amazon.com to browse and shop does not require a paid plan. The pricing is based on the products you buy. However, Amazon offers a subscription service called Amazon Prime that provides extra benefits.

• Standard Amazon Account: This is free to create. You pay for each product and any applicable shipping fees at the time of purchase.
• Amazon Prime Membership: This is a paid subscription, available monthly or yearly. It is for frequent shoppers who want to save on shipping and get extra perks. It includes free two-day shipping on eligible items, access to streaming content, and other exclusive deals.
• Prime Student: This is a discounted version of Prime for students enrolled in higher education. It offers similar benefits at a lower cost.
• Business Prime: This is designed for businesses of all sizes. It offers business-specific features like bulk purchasing discounts, multi-user accounts, and spending analytics.

Amazon.com Free Plan

Yes, creating a standard Amazon.com account is completely free. You do not need to pay any fee to browse the website, add items to your cart, or create wish lists. You only pay for the items you decide to purchase and their shipping costs.

For its Prime service, Amazon offers a free trial period, which is typically 30 days. During the trial, you get access to all the benefits of a full Prime membership, including free, fast shipping and streaming services. After the trial ends, you will be charged the membership fee unless you cancel.

How to use Amazon.com

Using Amazon.com is a simple process. Here are the basic steps to get started and make a purchase.

1. Create an Account: Go to the Amazon.com website and sign up for a new account. You will need to provide your name, email address, and a password.
2. Search for Products: Use the search bar at the top of the page to look for a specific item. You can also browse through different categories like 'Electronics' or 'Home & Kitchen'.
3. Filter Your Results: On the search results page, you can use filters on the left side to narrow down your options by brand, price, customer rating, and other features.
4. Review Product Details: Click on a product to see its detail page. Here you can find more photos, a full description, product specifications, and customer reviews.
5. Add to Cart: If you decide to buy the item, click the 'Add to Cart' button.
6. Proceed to Checkout: When you are ready to pay, click on the shopping cart icon and then 'Proceed to Checkout'.
7. Enter Shipping and Payment Information: You will need to provide a shipping address and choose a payment method, such as a credit card or debit card.
8. Place Your Order: Review all the details of your order, including the total price with shipping and taxes. If everything is correct, click 'Place your order'. You will receive a confirmation email and can track your package's delivery from your account.

Pros and Cons of Amazon.com

Pros

• Huge Selection: You can find almost any product you can think of in one place.
• Competitive Pricing: Prices are often lower than in physical stores, and there are frequent deals and discounts.
• Convenience: You can shop from anywhere at any time and have items delivered directly to your door.
• Fast Shipping: With Amazon Prime, many items can be delivered in two days or even faster.
• Customer Reviews: The large number of user reviews helps in making informed buying decisions.

Cons

• Overwhelming Choices: The massive selection can sometimes make it hard to choose the best product.
• Variable Seller Quality: The quality and reliability of third-party sellers can differ greatly.
• Impact on Local Stores: The growth of Amazon has negatively affected many small, local businesses.
• Packaging Waste: Fast shipping and individual packaging can lead to a lot of cardboard and plastic waste.

Amazon.com integrations

Amazon.com integrates with a wide range of applications and services, both for customers and for sellers.

• Login with Amazon: Many third-party websites and apps allow you to sign in using your Amazon account credentials, which simplifies registration.
• Alexa: Amazon's voice assistant is deeply integrated. You can use Alexa on Echo devices to shop, track orders, and play music from your Amazon Music library.
• Kindle: E-books purchased from the Amazon store are automatically sent to your Kindle e-reader or the Kindle app on your phone or tablet.
• Financial Apps: Budgeting tools like Mint and You Need a Budget (YNAB) can connect to your Amazon account to automatically import your purchase history for expense tracking.
• Seller Tools: For those who sell on Amazon, the platform integrates with inventory management and shipping software like ShipStation, Shopify, and BigCommerce to manage sales and fulfillment.

Amazon.com Alternatives

While Amazon is a dominant force in e-commerce, there are several other platforms where you can shop online.

• eBay: A global marketplace known for auctions and second-hand items. It is a great alternative for finding unique, vintage, or collectible goods that are not available on Amazon.
• Walmart: A major retail competitor with a large online store. Walmart offers competitive pricing, a wide range of products including groceries, and options for in-store pickup.
• AliExpress: A part of the Alibaba Group, AliExpress is known for its extremely low prices on products shipped directly from manufacturers in China. The key difference is much longer shipping times compared to Amazon.
• Target: A popular retailer in the U.S. that offers a well-curated selection of clothing, home goods, and electronics. Target's online store is known for its exclusive brands and design collaborations.
• Etsy: A marketplace focused on handmade, vintage, and craft items. It is the best alternative if you are looking for unique, personalized gifts and goods from independent creators.

Amazon.com API

Yes, Amazon provides several APIs for developers. The most common one for general use is the Product Advertising API (PA-API). This API allows developers and website owners to access Amazon's product catalog, search for items, and retrieve detailed information like prices, reviews, and images. It is mainly used by members of the Amazon Associates (affiliate) program to advertise Amazon products.

To get access to the PA-API and obtain your API keys (Access Key and Secret Key), you must first be approved for the Amazon Associates program. Once your account is approved, you can generate your API credentials from the Associates Central dashboard.

Here is a very simple example in Python showing how you might connect to the API to search for a product:

# This is a conceptual example
# You would need an Amazon API client library to run this

from amazon_paapi import AmazonApi

# Your API credentials from Amazon Associates
access_key = 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY'
secret_key = 'YOUR_SECRET_KEY'
partner_tag = 'YOUR_PARTNER_TAG'
country = 'US'

# Create an API client instance
amazon = AmazonApi(access_key, secret_key, partner_tag, country)

# Search for products
products = amazon.search_items(keywords='laptop')

# Print the title of the first product found
if products:
    first_product = products['SearchResult']['Items'][0]
    print(first_product['ItemInfo']['Title']['DisplayValue'])

For more detailed information, developers should visit the official Amazon Product Advertising API documentation page.

Amazon.com Affiliate program

Amazon has one of the most popular affiliate programs in the world, called Amazon Associates. This program allows website owners, bloggers, and influencers to earn money by referring customers to Amazon.com.

When you join the program, you get special links, called affiliate links. You place these links on your website or social media. If someone clicks your link and buys a product on Amazon within 24 hours, you earn a commission.

Commission Rates: The commission you earn varies depending on the product category. For example, you might earn a higher percentage for sales in categories like Luxury Beauty and a lower percentage for Video Games. The rates can change, so it is important to check the official commission table.

How to Join: To become an Amazon Associate, you need to apply on the Amazon Associates website. You will need to have an active website, blog, or social media channel. Amazon will review your application to make sure it meets their quality standards.

Getting Paid: You get paid approximately 60 days after the end of the month in which you earned the commission. The payment threshold is typically $10. You can choose to be paid via direct deposit, an Amazon gift card, or a check.