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Sun, 17 May 2026

Sun, 17 May 2026 Why does Amazon have no Western rivals?

The internet giant dwarfs other online retailers on both sides of the Atlantic.

* Amazon's dominance in e-commerce can be attributed to a combination of factors, including its first-mover advantage, willingness to invest heavily in growth, and ability to use profits from lucrative businesses like AWS to sustain lower-margin retail operations.
* Amazon's market share is around 40.5% in the US and 30% in the UK, with its nearest rival Walmart having a market share of around 9.2%.
* Experts point to several key business moves that have contributed to Amazon's dominance, including its transition from an online retailer to an online platform allowing third-party sellers, and the launch of Prime membership.
* Some experts also suggest that Amazon's behavior may violate competition law, with allegations that it uses unlawful practices to maintain its dominance and harm competition.
* The company is facing antitrust lawsuits in both the US and California, which are set for trial in 2027.
* A solution some have called for is to break Amazon into multiple stand-alone companies, but this is seen as unlikely.
* Experts agree that a new company could potentially build a copycat of Amazon's e-commerce platform with enough resources and time.