In many ways, Amazon has revolutionized the way that we approach buying and consumption in our lives. Between its technology and services, it has created an entirely new way of living. Its countless innovations have changed the e-commerce landscape and improved the online shopping experience.
We asked members of the Forbes Technology Council how Amazon has changed the industry. The answers varied, but they all mentioned different innovations that have set new standards for buying and selling goods and the overall increased competition in the tech marketplace.
1. Voice Search
The landscape changed when Alexa came on the scene -- likely because Amazon had a big e-commerce website that could easily be searched. Google followed suit with Google Home, and Apple is struggling to find a way to the market with its HomePod. It's the first step to getting rid of input devices and fully embracing the untethered world. - Tom Altman, Leverage, powered by Clickstop
2. Cloud Computing
AWS changed the hosting industry for good. As a proof of AWS's success, other big players, such as Google and Microsoft, launched similar products. Scaling up and down was a pain before AWS. Sure, the technology was there in bits and pieces, but it was Amazon that made it available to all and at affordable prices. Most of the time, what you need can be had right out of the box, in terms of cloud computing. You can get a proof of concept for your big idea even with its free tier. - Vikram Joshi, pulsd
3. Automated Brick-And-Mortar Stores
Amazon's first automated brick-and-mortar store is redesigning the consumer behavior landscape. The trend is still new, but its repercussions can already be seen all over the place. News outlets treat it as the next big thing in shopping and present it in futuristic scenarios in which jobs are being disrupted across the board. Amazon is taking a brave new step in reshaping a millennia-old industry. - Nick Chandi, PayPie
4. One-Click Ordering
With average shopping cart abandonment being around 70%, Amazon's one-click ordering was a game changer in the e-commerce industry. Now that Amazon's patent has expired, we should expect to see many online retailers implement one-click ordering on their websites and significantly increase their sales. - Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
5. The Online Review
I'd argue that online reviews have done more to power the success of Amazon -- and e-commerce as a whole -- than even two-day delivery and Prime. Introduced by Amazon in 1995, reviews have revolutionized how people make buying decisions, so much so that they've helped Amazon outdraw Google as a top spot for product searches. Amazon reviews opened the door for subsequent innovation, where companies like Yelp, Tripadvisor and even my own, Yotpo, solve for the challenge of displaying social proof across a range of digital experiences. - Tomer Tagrin, Yotpo
6. Books And Reading
Amazon has made book reading cool again. Whether it's the ability to access pretty much any printed book and get it quickly or the putting it electronically in your hand with the Kindle, Amazon changed book reading. Amazon revitalized the "written" word by making it digital and easy to access. - Brent Chapman, RoundPoint Mortgage Servicing Corporation
7. Two-Day Delivery
Amazon Prime is one of the three businesses that makes Amazon a giant in the tech industry. The two-day delivery service was a trendsetter and forced companies to try and keep up. Because of Amazon Prime, Amazon has been able to establish several other businesses, including Amazon Restaurants and Amazon Flex. This trend is trying to be tackled but not having the infrastructure in place that Amazon does has made it difficult for others to compete. - Alexandro Pando, Xyrupt
8. Personalized Customer Experience
From its “recommended for you” section to personalized emails based on purchase history and on-site behavior, Amazon was one of the first to tap into its breadth of customer data, setting a high bar for loyalty programs. The level of personalization has been dubbed the “Amazon Experience” and put pressure across industries from beauty to health care to deliver hyper-personalized experiences. - Nitay Joffe, ActionIQ
