4 ms·
A legitimate mom-and-pop is never going to compete with larger retailers for commodity items like PC components. They don't have the buying power, they don't ha
by jdietrich 7y ago
A legitimate mom-and-pop is never going to compete with larger retailers for commodity items like PC components. They don't have the buying power, they don't have the economies of scale and they can't offer meaningfully better support or curation. The "mom-and-pop" retailers who can compete are generally doing something shady, from grey imports to outright counterfeiting.
That's far from the case in all verticals. I have bought tons of stuff from small specialised online retailers, because they can meaningfully compete in niche markets. If I want a woodworking tool, my first port of call is Workshop Heaven, because they sell a carefully curated selection of extremely high-quality products. Everything they ship has been QCed by someone who actually knows about tools, so I'll happily pay a premium in the knowledge that I'll never get a dud. I'll buy a tool from a brand that I've never heard of, because I trust their curation. I look forward to seeing their newsletter in my inbox, because it usually highlights cool new tools that I haven't heard of.
IMO, the future of mom-and-pop retailing doesn't look like mom-and-pop retail - it looks like a boutique. A small selection of carefully curated products, a fanatical commitment to quality and genuinely useful pre- and post-sales support. To survive in a post-Amazon world, small retailers need to evolve into niche brands in their own right.
- verisimilidude 7y agoAgreed, boutique online sellers can still compete. For example, I will always buy my stationary from JetPens if I can help it. Someone should put together a list of such retailers across various specialties.
- danShumway 7y agoI'll add Goulet Pens to that list. They maintain a Youtube channel where they break down pretty much anything you'd ever want to know about how to intelligently buy a fountain pen. They've got a usable site where I don't have to worry about getting scammed or even creating an account -- last time I bought a pen from them, the package even came with a handwritten note; it was just a really nice experience. Pretty much all of my ink/pen related needs go through Goulet, specifically because I trust them more than Amazon.
- la_barba 7y agoI suppose you could do the same with Amazon referral links to products that your team has personally reviewed?
- goatsi 7y agoSure, and then your buyers get the counterfeits that have been commingled into Amazon's inventory.
- la_barba 7y agoYou can avoid this by not recommending products that are fulfilled by amazon.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- thirdsun 7y agoTo give you an anecdotal customer perspective I won't buy anything from Amazon that isn't Prime-enabled and fulfilled by Amazon. To me that's the only upside of Amazon - fast, reliable and free (if the subscription fee doesn't count) next-day delivery of the goods I ordered. I can get similar prices and often better seelction elsewhere. Fulfillment is Amazon's greatest strength in my opinion.