Amazon has introduced its first two furniture brands. In this way, after entering businesses such as fresh food with the purchase of Whole Foods, he has now decided to take on Ikea by making his furniture and selling it with free shipping and other advantages.
At the moment, this new furniture will begin to be sold only in the United States, and they have not talked about plans for an international launch it would be logical that it would not arrive until they verified that it works for them “at home”. However, the movement is still curious, especially now that Amazon has started selling some Ikea products in its online store for a few months.
As we have said, these are two different brands focused on different audiences. On the one hand, we have Rivet, which is a modern line with a mid-century look aimed at millennials, according to Amazon itself. It will include items such as small sofas with removable backs that fit into small urban apartments.
And then we have Stone & Beam, a country-hip brand aimed at families, and which commands a higher price tag. Both lines focus on furniture and decoration for the living room with pieces such as sofas, chairs, lamps, and art. The products are priced higher than Ikea’s, but they also promise better quality.
But the great benefit that Amazon wants to offer with these two lines is to integrate the advantages of its Amazon Prime service. In this way, although products such as sofas will not be shipped in two days, there will be free shipping costs. In addition, Amazon will offer a 30-day margin to return orders for both brands free of charge, Rivet will have a one-year warranty, and Stone & Beam products three.
The secret is in the shipping costs
And it is precisely in the shipping costs where the greatest advantage of the new line of Amazon products is. Jeff Bezos’s company offers free shipping for Prime users in the United States, while shipping costs on Ikea online purchases have always been a major drawback for the Swedes. Without going any further, in Spain, these are 55 euros.
So, we are in a titanic fight where Amazon has the potential to hurt Ikea by taking advantage of its huge disadvantage. It will be interesting to see how the Swedes react, especially if Amazon launches this line internationally, and if they finally decide to start lowering their shipping prices.
Sharlene Meriel is an avid gamer with a knack for technology. He has been writing about the latest technologies for the past 5 years. His contribution in technology journalism has been noteworthy. He is also a day trader with interest in the Forex market.
