Amazon (AMZN – Free Report) has gained nearly 64% year to date in comparison with the S&P 500, which has gained 8.8%. On Sep 4, it became the second company to reach the trillion-dollar feat after Apple (AAPL).
Amazon has miles to go with the recent developments taking place.
Plan of Opening 3000 Cashierless Stores by 2021
Amazon is planning to expand its cashierless AmazonGo stores chain to 3000 by 2021. Per a report by Bloomberg, it plans to have 10 such stores by the end of this year, another 50 stores in major cities like San Francisco and New York by 2019. The target market is the affluent urban section of the society.
At present, there are three stores in Seattle, the company’s headquarters and another one was opened in Chicago on Sep 17. This would help it become one of the biggest convenience store-chains in the country.
Launch of Alexa-Voiced Assisted Equipment
Post success of its echo smart speakers, Amazon will be launching eight new voice controlled devices by this year. These include microwave owen, amplifier, sub-woofer and in-car gadget. A teaser of the same could be displayed by the end of this month.
Collaboration With Audi
Audi is planning to team up with Amazon to deliver in-home charging equipment for the U.S. consumers for its E-tron, the first of the three fully electric vehicles Audi plans to bring to the market by 2020. Audi expects nearly 30% of U.S. consumers to own an electric vehicle by 2025.
Becoming the Third-Largest Digital Ad-platform in the U.S.
All of Amazon’s advertising platforms have come under a single name Amazon Advertising banner. It is aimed at becoming a one-stop shop for ads on and off Amazon. It includes Sponsored Ads, Display Ads, Video Ads, and Stores, Measurement across Amazon and on third-party sites and apps and Amazon Demand-Side Platform (DSP).
Amazon is the third-largest digital ad-platform in the United States. The company will pull in $4.61 billion of U.S. digital ad revenues this year, which accounts for 4.15% of the U.S. digital ad market. Per eMarketer, one of the drivers for Amazon’s growth is that advertisers are willing to run ads on platforms that are solely dedicated for the purpose of shopping.
