Have We Reached “Peak Amazon?” with Brian Walker Of Bloomreach - Episode 286
INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN WALKER
DESCRIPTION
The episode of the podcast features Kiri's conversation with Brian Walker, Chief Strategy Officer at Bloomreach, who gives his opinion on Amazon's current state. According to him, Amazon is no longer customer-obsessed and is now more focused on its own financial gain, resulting in a decrease in customer experience.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Brian serves as Chief Strategy Officer, leading the Company’s go-to-market strategy. Prior to joining Bloomreach Brian has held a wide variety of roles in the market including leading Global Commerce Strategy at Accenture, Chief Strategy Officer at SAP Hybris, leading commerce technology research at Forrester Research, as well as leadership positions at Amazon & Expedia..
“Amazon used to be a ‘fire and forget’ experience. An expectation that the delivery would happen on time or earlier. Likewise with product search. Now many consumers search for things on Amazon and it’s a confusing and biased experience.”
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In today’s episode, Kiri and Brian discuss:
Brian was on the show in Feb 2020. It was just after NRF and before COVID took over our lives. Kiri and Brian catch up on the previous 3 years.
He’s both worked at Amazon as a corporate employee and also as a marketplace seller. He has a bold opinion on something that many people have probably been thinking: Amazon is not what it once was — they're no longer customer obsessed.
Amazon is more focused on its own financial gain. Consider how important the advertising business is now. Meanwhile, they've had to invest less in innovation. The customer experience is suffering as a result. Have we reached peak Amazon? In Brian's opinion, yes.
Brian worked at Amazon when it was highly innovative, with a lot of “mojo”
The flywheel - price, fulfillment, expanding the marketplace
“That Mojo has turned to mush”
Amazon’s score has decreased to 78 out of 100
Product discovery, fulfillment, reviews, customer support
Leadership change - Jassy is now CEO, and there’s a shift in focus and priorities. More efficiency like canceling various bets (Alexa, Smile), and retrenching.
The dreaded “Jeff email” among employees, promoted the culture of customer obsession.
What about retail media where Amazon is significantly ahead of the competition in terms of traffic and capabilities?
“The ad business is the fastest growing business at Amazon, and under pressure to grow results, Wall Street loves the ad business. They leaped ahead. And now? It's a pair of handcuffs for Amazon when they try to provide a great customer experience.”
The more they lean into ads, the more it will impact the customer experience.
Amazon is built on spear-fishing, not browsing. If search results are muddy and confusing, it's natural for people to stop using that.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Connect with Kiri Masters
Learn more about Acadia
Connect with Brian Walker
Brian’s Newsletter: Cocktails, Commerce & Conversion
