In our opinion Amazon are the global giants of internet retailing and a company which sets the benchmark for e-tailing. Established in 1995 in the U.S by Jeff Bezos the platform was developed initially to sell Books and CD's. Over the years it has diversified into selling a broad range of consumer goods and recently digital downloads. More importantly for us Amazon have developed leading online shopping technology which has pushed the boundaries of Ecommerce business and attracted millions of customers worldwide. In turn generating billions of dollars in revenue making it one of the largest online retailers in the world.

In March 2002 Amazon Marketplace was launched in the UK allowing merchants to use the Amazon platform to sell fixed price items which are either new, used or refurbished through the Amazon Website. The merchants item appears on the same page as the Amazon product. However in most cases it will offer an alternative price point to the Amazon customer. On some occasions it might be a product that Amazon themselves have discontinued or are out of stock of. In this instance it offers the merchant a less competitive way of making a sale. Through using ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) EAN or ISBN it is extremely easy and cost effective to list products on the Amazon website. Marketed as "low investment" and "low risk" the Amazon Merchant program really lives up to the hype. You can list as many products as you wish for a set fee per month and only pay a small commission fee when you sell an item. You don't have to worry about payments as Amazon handle all the transaction and security checks. All you need to do is process the order and manage the communication with your buyer.

Amazon should be seen as a prime selling opportunity which like Ebay will allow your online business to grow for a relatively low conversion fee. At MercuryMinds we have a solution for your online retail business using our Amazon API. You can connect your existing website using our interface to manage your Inventory, communicate to your customers allowing seemless tracking of all your Amazon orders. If you are serious about growing your business you can save time and money with our solutions for selling across multiple marketplaces from your existing website. Our Marketplace solution helps you automate orders, product listings and manage price changes. Allowing more time for you to concentrate on your business. It takes away the time consuming processes involved with listing on several platforms. Why do a single process several times when you could do it once? Change a price of an item on your site and simultaneously change it on your Amazon, Ebay or Pixmania site. Do likewise for all information that requires updating day to day. Automate your listings, manage your inventory and communicate with your customers from one easy interface. Improve your efficiency by saving time and having full visibility over your sales process.

In most cases it's service and communication that will separate your business from the competition. At Mercury Minds we give you improved control over your processes through our technology. For customers in the U.S MercuryMinds offer a full re-design service of Amazon Webstores. Webstore by Amazon is a new Amazon Service product which allows merchants to have the technology of the Amazon platform powering their own website. It's an exciting offering from Amazon and one that we will hopefully see rolled out to new territories soon. We can build you a professional looking site which looks and feels the way you want it to. Having the power of Amazon tools to build your online business and a professional Storefront built and maintained by MercuryMinds. This has got to be one of the easiest ways to start trading online which offers enviable security and built-in marketing power, which of course is exceptional.